Xinda Securities·2025-10-17 07:24Investment Rating - The investment rating for the airline transportation industry is "Positive" [2]. Core Viewpoints - The industry has maintained a high passenger load factor since the beginning of 2025, with domestic airlines focusing on low growth in capacity while increasing investment in international routes. The supply remains tight with a net fleet growth rate below 3%. The passenger load factor has improved year-on-year and compared to the same period in 2019, particularly in domestic routes. Domestic turnover has shown steady growth, while international turnover has significantly recovered to 2019 levels. Ticket prices have turned positive during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, with demand remaining robust. The fourth quarter is expected to see improvements in year-on-year comparisons due to a low base from the previous year, which will support the recovery of unit revenue for airlines [12][13][36]. Summary by Sections Investment Suggestions - The report suggests focusing on airlines such as China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, Spring Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines due to the expected recovery in unit revenue and profitability [13][36]. Passenger Load Factor and Ticket Prices - The passenger load factor remains high, with the industry achieving a load factor of 87.5% in August 2025, up 0.6 percentage points year-on-year and 0.9 percentage points compared to 2019. Domestic turnover increased by 3.5% year-on-year, while international and regional routes have recovered to 100.4% of 2019 levels [15][19]. - Ticket prices have shown a positive trend, with the average domestic ticket price reaching 942 RMB during the National Day holiday, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of only 1.5%. The average ticket price for early October 2025 was up 2.2% year-on-year [4][23]. Oil Prices and Exchange Rates - The average aviation fuel price in October 2025 was 5572 RMB per ton, a slight decrease of 0.1% year-on-year. The Brent crude oil price has also decreased, with an average of 64.25 USD per barrel in October, down 16.7% year-on-year. The Chinese Yuan has appreciated against the US Dollar, with the exchange rate at 7.0968 RMB per USD as of October 16, 2025 [5][36][40]. Airline Operations and Fleet Growth - Airlines have continued to invest in international capacity, with domestic and international passenger load factors remaining high. In September 2025, the domestic load factor for major airlines showed significant year-on-year increases, with China Eastern Airlines leading with a 3.4 percentage point increase compared to 2019 [41][44]. - In terms of fleet growth, Air China had the highest net increase in aircraft in September 2025, adding 5 aircraft, while other airlines also showed modest growth [6][41].