High speed rail services provoke Kunpeng Airlines to suspend Zhengzhou-Xi’an route

Kunpeng Airlines suspended its Zhengzhou-Xi'an service while Joy Air has reportedly reported a significant reduction in load factor on the sector due to the opening of the high-speed rail link between Zhengzhou and Xi'an on 06-Feb-2010 (Money.163.com, 16-Mar-2010). Kunpeng Airlines operated the route with Bombardier's CRJ jets with a 97 seat configuration. The carrier reported a load factor of 49.3% on the sector in Jan-2010. Joy Air operates the route with MA60 aircraft with a 52 seat configuration and reported an average load factor of 70% prior to the launch of the high-speed rail.