China's airline deregulation since 1997 and the driving forces behind the 2002 airline consolidations

This paper describes events in the last decade in China's airline markets and clarifies some misunderstandings in regard to the 2002 airline consolidations that brought sweeping changes to that country's aviation markets. Some possible reasons for the 2002 consolidations are inferred through analysing the data and facts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. We conclude that the consolidations may be a natural response to the changes that accompanied airline deregulation in China.