Malaysia Airlines (MH) and China Southern Airlines (CZ) are expanding their codeshare partnership with five additional routes in the Malaysia-China market, further strengthening air connectivity between the two countries.
The expanded agreement will officially take effect on 25 October and will cover all Kuala Lumpur-related routes operated by both airlines between Malaysia and China. The new cooperation will connect Kuala Lumpur with five major Chinese economic, cultural and commercial centres: Shenzhen, Changsha, Xiamen, Chengdu and Zhengzhou.
Under the codeshare arrangement, both airlines will place their respective flight codes on eligible services operated by either carrier. The agreement is also designed to bring the two airlines’ hubs and networks closer together, creating additional opportunities to deepen their cooperation and provide greater value and more travel options for customers.
The partnership has been developed progressively since the airlines launched codeshare cooperation on the Kuala Lumpur-Guangzhou route in July 2023. In July 2024, the agreement was expanded further to include Kuala Lumpur-Beijing Daxing, Kuala Lumpur-Shanghai Pudong and Penang-Guangzhou services.
The latest expansion reflects the continued commitment of both airlines to the Malaysia-China market. Malaysia Airlines launched new services from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, Shenzhen and Changsha this year, while China Southern Airlines has continued to increase capacity on its Kuala Lumpur-Guangzhou and Kuala Lumpur-Shenzhen routes.
“Malaysia Airlines is pleased to further strengthen its partnership with China Southern Airlines and offer customers more ways to travel between Malaysia and China. China remains a key strategic market for Malaysia Airlines, and our continued expansion in the country reflects the importance we place on strengthening our connections with the region,” said Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG).
He added that the cooperation complements Malaysia Airlines’ network by giving customers greater access to key destinations across China while reinforcing connections between the two carriers’ respective networks.
“We look forward to building on the strong foundation of our partnership and exploring further opportunities to deepen our cooperation, while supporting the continued growth of tourism, trade and business ties between Malaysia and China,” Nasaruddin said.
The expanded codeshare agreement further underlines the importance both airlines place on the Malaysia-China market. With the latest additions, codeshare cooperation will now cover all routes linking Kuala Lumpur with Guangzhou, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong, Shenzhen, Changsha, Xiamen, Chengdu Tianfu and Zhengzhou, encompassing all Kuala Lumpur-related routes operated by the two carriers.
China Southern Airlines also highlighted the growth potential of the Malaysian market and the benefits of closer cooperation with Malaysia Airlines.
“China Southern Airlines highly values the enormous growth potential of the Malaysian market. By working closely with Malaysia Airlines, we will further leverage our respective strengths, increase flight frequencies between China and Malaysia, and fully capitalise on the opportunities presented by the mutual visa-free policies,” said Mr. Han Wensheng, President of China Southern Air Holding Company Limited.
According to Han, the expanded partnership will provide passengers with more diversified and convenient travel options while supporting stronger air connectivity between the two countries.
“It will offer passengers more diversified and convenient travel options, while injecting new momentum into air connectivity between our two countries and supporting the Belt and Road Initiative,” he said.
Han added that China Southern Airlines remains committed to deepening the partnership in order to create greater value for customers and support closer tourism, trade and economic cooperation between China and Malaysia.
