Huachuang Securities·2026-02-14 13:56Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Recommend" rating for the aviation sector, expecting the industry index to outperform the benchmark index by over 5% in the next 3-6 months [56]. Core Insights - The report highlights a strong demand for air travel during the Spring Festival, with a projected growth in passenger numbers of around 5% due to the recovery of international routes and increased domestic travel demand driven by service consumption [8]. - The report notes that the supply of aircraft is expected to grow at a compound rate of approximately 3% over the next three years, indicating a "hardcore" constraint on supply [8]. - High load factors are anticipated to lead to significant price elasticity, particularly for major airlines such as China National Aviation, Southern Airlines, and Eastern Airlines, which are expected to see a release of elasticity [8]. Monthly Data Analysis Overall Performance - In January, the overall ASK (Available Seat Kilometers) growth rates varied among airlines, with Spring Airlines leading at 4.5% growth, while Hainan Airlines saw a decline of 6.6% [1]. - RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers) growth also showed a similar trend, with Spring Airlines at 6.0% and Hainan Airlines at -4.4% [1]. Domestic Routes - For domestic routes in January, Spring Airlines had the highest ASK growth at 13.3%, while Hainan Airlines had the lowest at -8.5% [2]. - RPK growth for domestic routes was led by Spring Airlines at 14.4%, with Hainan Airlines again at the bottom with -6.3% [2]. International Routes - On international routes, Southern Airlines showed the highest ASK growth at 10.5%, while Spring Airlines experienced a decline of 20.8% [2]. - RPK growth on international routes was also led by Southern Airlines at 8.0%, with Spring Airlines again showing a significant decline of 19.5% [2]. Regional Routes - Spring Airlines led regional routes with an ASK growth of 41.6%, while the lowest was seen in 吉祥 Airlines at -39.4% [2]. - RPK growth for regional routes was similarly led by Spring Airlines at 40.7% [2]. Load Factor - In January, Spring Airlines achieved the highest load factor at 92.0%, with a year-on-year increase of 1.3 percentage points [3]. - The load factors for other airlines were as follows: Eastern Airlines at 85.0%, 吉祥 Airlines at 84.0%, and Southern Airlines at 83.3% [3]. Fleet Size - In January 2026, the six listed airlines collectively saw a net exit of 5 aircraft from their fleets [3].