The development of Chinese air express integrators

Despite the significance of the China e-commerce economy and the rapidly increasing air express service, there are few publications on the development of Chinese integrators that are significant contributors to the e-commerce boom. This research explores the network development of China's three integrators, namely, SF Express, TYO Express and China Post, and assesses the evolution of the networks during the pandemic period with the assistance of the complex network theory. It has been found that their networks underwent great development one year after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak Their domestic networks are compared with the networks of the world-class integrators in the EU. It appears that the Chinese integrators operate networks with both hub-and-spoke and point-to-point features at their principal hubs (Hangzhou and Shenzhen of SF express, and Nanjing of China Post). SF Express' network in the Chinese domestic market demonstrates different topological features from the ones of its Chinese counterparts and the foreign integrators in Europe, with fewer one-way flights and at a higher density.

An analysis of the Chinese scheduled freighter network during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 caused the vast majority of passenger flights to be grounded, but the crisis raised the importance of the network of dedicated cargo flights and, therefore, interest in its development. This paper aims to evaluate the Chinese scheduled freighter network (CSFN) via its topological properties and to explore its changes following the COVID-19 pandemic. Using spatial analysis with the complex network theory (CNT), the paper found that the CSFN displays small-world and scale-free network properties, similar to that of air passenger network. Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing are the dominant national hubs in the CSFN because they host the headquarters of many e-commerce giant enterprises and have relatively underutilized airport capacities. The CSFN has improved since the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased network average degree, clustering coefficient, and closeness, and reduced average path. These improvements were mainly driven by major hub cities whose centralities had been strengthened with more route connections. Since China's air passenger traffic had quickly restored in the second half of 2020, we argue that the changes in the CSFN during COVID-19 were unlikely to be a result of the substitution effect between freighter and passenger aircraft. It was more likely a result of the higher air cargo demand during the pandemic and airlines' realisation of the importance of freighter operations in China.

COVID-19 and bailout policy: The case of Virgin Australia.

The impact of COVID-19 on air transport is unprecedented and some well-known airline brands may disappear as a result. Governments around the world have responded swiftly to cushion the financial impact by offering direct wage subsidies, tax relief, loans, etc. This paper explores the government's appropriate responses to failing airlines' bailout request by examining the case of Virgin Australia. Following the bailout policy principles established in the literature, we suggest that bankruptcy protection should be considered as the first solution to a failing carrier. A bailout decision should be guided by a set of principles and procedures, which should not be taken lightly. Our analysis also shows that the government cannot take a hands-off approach in the absence of private lenders and investors, as the costs to consumers and regional residents would be huge if the carrier could not get through the COVID-19 pandemic. A minimum level of assistance with conditions might be needed to maintain market competition.

COVID-19 impacts on general aviation - Comparative experiences, governmental responses and policy imperatives.

This article catalogues experiences of the general aviation sector as it progressively encountered the challenges of COVID-19 in the early part of 2020. The article focuses primarily on the Australian marketplace as a contribution to the body of knowledge in an under-researched industry sector. The article draws on literature pertaining to prior pandemic experience to enquire about the level of precursory preparedness in the sector, and then utilises data from 12 semi-structured interviews with experienced industry participants locally and internationally. The key findings suggest that there has been a lack of applied learning by policy makers in the past, and that generic support on offer now does not address the long term resilience of the sector nor does it address a pathway for future sudden moments of dislocation. Policies which purport to support aviation should be crafted in a way that engages all levels of industry rather than be airline centric.

Chinese future frequent flyers’ willingness to pay for carbon emissions reduction

Carbon offset programs and carbon taxes have not been introduced to China’s aviation sector, but may be implemented in the coming decade. This research surveys Chinese university students to understand the factors associated with their willingness to participate in and pay for voluntary carbon offsets and compulsory taxes for domestic and international travel. Our survey subjects represent the future frequent flyers and a generation likely to be impacted the most by global warming. We find that their willingness to pay (WTP) for carbon emissions reduction is positively related to income, levels of environmental concern and trust in the carbon offsetting/reduction projects. Females tend to have a higher WTP than males. The intention to contribute during the Covid-19 pandemic was lower. The mean WTP for the voluntary offsetting regime for domestic travel is approximately 36.33yuan, whereas the mean WTP for domestic travel under the compulsory regime is about 28.65yuan. For international travel, these two figures are 45.37yuan and 71.70yuan, respectively.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current tertiary aviation education and future careers: Students' perspective.

This study investigates Australian undergraduate tertiary aviation students' perceptions of the aviation industry and skills required to succeed following the COVID-19 pandemic. By developing an understanding of the skills students perceive to be necessary for their careers following the COVID-19 pandemic, comparisons can be drawn with industry perspectives to determine whether these perspectives align and, more importantly, support students' successful development of skills as sought by the industry. An online survey of current undergraduate tertiary aviation students at Australian universities was conducted to determine the perceived impediments, additional skills required, post-graduation plans and how university courses should evolve post-COVID-19. The results show that students are cognisant of the current oversupply of aviation professionals due to the downturn in the industry and are seeking further support with the development of non-technical skills to better prepare themselves to be competitive following graduation. These findings have implications for both undergraduate aviation students and universities offering an undergraduate aviation program. By considering these findings universities can adapt their programs to better prepare students and support the development of skilled aviation professionals, equipped to deal with challenges of the post-COVID-19 aviation industry.

Preparing for 'COVID-27': Lessons in management focus - An Australian general aviation perspective.

This paper considers the observed impacts of COVID-19 on the behaviour of a cross-section of the general aviation (GA) community in Australia. It specifically observes the nature of management decision making observed in the sector, and the financial impacts of such choices. This paper highlights a lack of financial acumen in the Australian GA community which is likely to inhibit resilience in the sector and limit its ability to learn from the economic shock COVID-19 represents. Finally, the paper proposes several initiatives to improve the quality of management decision making in the sector's leadership, with a view to improving its financial outlook and visibility to policy makers.

Exploring the roles of high-speed train, air and coach services in the spread of COVID-19 in China.

To understand the roles of different transport modes in the spread of COVID-19 pandemic across Chinese cities, this paper looks at the factors influencing the number of imported cases from Wuhan and the spread speed and pattern of the pandemic. We find that frequencies of air flights and high-speed train (HST) services out of Wuhan are significantly associated with the number of COVID-19 cases in the destination cities. The presence of an airport or HST station at a city is significantly related to the speed of the pandemic spread, but its link with the total number of confirmed cases is weak. The farther the distance from Wuhan, the lower number of cases in a city and the slower the dissemination of the pandemic. The longitude and latitude coordinates do not have a significant relationship with the number of total cases but can increase the speed of the COVID-19 spread. Specifically, cities in the higher longitudinal region tended to record a COVID-19 case earlier than their counterparties in the west. Cities in the north were more likely to report the first case later than those in the south. The pandemic may emerge in large cities earlier than in small cities as GDP is a factor positively associated with the spread speed.