Air China and China Eastern discuss threat from high-speed rail

Air China and China Eastern Airlines acknowledged that the threat of China's high-speed railway is only limited to air routes that are less than 800km in distance (NetEase, 01-Apr-2011). The carriers stated high-speed railways cannot replace airlines on long-haul routes, particularly those that cover a distance of more than 1200km. China Eastern Chairman Liu Shaoyong stated high-speed rail will make it difficult for air routes under 600km to be profitable and cut passenger traffic on air routes under 800km by 20% to 30% but will have no impact on air routes of more than 1000km (JRJ.com.cn, 01-Apr-2011).