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← CockpitCompetitor Analysis › 601111.SS Air China Limited Class AOpen in the cockpit ↗

Air China Limited Class A601111.SSCompetitor analysis, valuation and peers

China · CNY·Industrials›Airlines

China's flag carrier full-service airline, operating domestic and international passenger and cargo flights from its Beijing hub.

≈ China's United AirlinesMomentum leader 85
Mkt cap
$15.3B
US dollars, full cap
Free float
27%
of shares outstanding
$/day
$57.8M
20-day average traded
Fwd P/E
n/m
no positive forecast
ROIC−WACC
-1.8 pp
WACC 5.0%
Hurdle
-10 pp
Req g minus delivered
Next earnings
146 days
1 Apr 2027
Close · CNYCN¥6.29
1D-1.1%
1W+9.0%
1M+9.6%
3M+1.0%
6M-6.5%
YTD-32.9%
1Y-26.7%
ATR %2.1%
52w lowhigh33.4% off high

What Air China does

China's flag carrier full-service airline, operating domestic and international passenger and cargo flights from its Beijing hub.

Passenger tickets carry the group, with domestic routes bigger than international. It owns a stake in Cathay Pacific and controls Shenzhen Airlines. China National Aviation Holding, a state group, controls it.

In one line: China's United Airlines.

Products and services

  • Domestic passenger flights
  • International passenger flights
  • Air cargo
  • Regional subsidiary carriers

Customers

  • Business & leisure travelers
  • Cargo shippers

Where it sits in the supply chain

  • Industrials
  • Airlines
  • Full-service network airline

What could go right

  • Air travel demand recovery/growth
  • Belt-and-Road route expansion

What could go wrong

  • Jet fuel price volatility
  • State-directed fare/capacity policy

Moat: narrow (regulatory licence, scale, brand). Protected Beijing hub slots and flag-carrier status, but thin margins from fuel/fare competition.

Headquarters: Beijing, China · Founded: 1988 · Employees: 107,795

Named competitors

Air China at a glance

Size Air China (601111.SS) is a China Industrials company (Airlines) with a market value of $15.3B, the 151st largest of 4,839 China companies the cockpit tracks. Shares closed at CN¥6.29 on 6 Nov 2026.

Performance Over six months the shares fell 6.5%, against +8.5% for the median peer and -16.4% for the China market (cap-weighted) — 6th lowest of 21 in its peer set.

Growth Revenue grew 8.5% over the last twelve months (peer median +11.4%); the operating margin is -6.7% (peer median 7.3%).

Valuation It trades at 1.7× enterprise value to sales against a peer median of 1.1× (7th most expensive of 21).

Price implies For today's price to make sense, revenue must grow about 10% a year for seven years (Req g). Recent delivered growth is +20%, so the hurdle is -10 pp: the price already allows for a slowdown.

Capital Return on invested capital runs 1.8 points below its cost of capital (5.0% WACC).

Next results Next results expected around 1 Apr 2027 (exchange calendar; dates can move).

Relative performance

8010012011 May 202611 Aug 20266 Nov 2026Peer median 110601111.SS 92
Six months, rebased to 100: Air China against the median of its 20 peers (local-currency closes).

Air China financials

Reported figures in CNY; fiscal year ends 2025-12-31. TTM = trailing twelve months.
TTMFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022
RevenueCN¥183BCN¥171BCN¥167BCN¥141BCN¥52.9B
Revenue growth—+3%+18%+167%—
Gross profitCN¥25.4BCN¥8.36BCN¥8.05BCN¥6.68B-CN¥30.3B
EBITDAn/aCN¥26.1BCN¥24.5BCN¥20.8B-CN¥17.3B
Net income-CN¥5.66B-CN¥1.77B-CN¥237M-CN¥1.05B-CN¥38.6B
Free cash flowCN¥4.59BCN¥26.5BCN¥16.6BCN¥13.5B-CN¥24.1B
Capital expenditureCN¥31.3BCN¥17.6BCN¥20.1BCN¥22.8BCN¥7.64B
Total debtCN¥229BCN¥243BCN¥250BCN¥245BCN¥234B

Quarterly statements and history in the cockpit →

Air China competitor charts

The default views of Competitor Analysis ▸ Charts, drawn from the same data. Open them in the cockpit to change the axes, pin companies and read every value.

Performance: 6-month against 1-month return

-20%0%+20%-5%0%+5%+10%LTMC6L10550293LHALUV0670INDIGOQAN9202IAG9201AAL003490RYAAY6002210013912618EZJ601021601111.SS6-month return →1-month return →
Up and to the right = strong over both horizons. Air China is the large dot.

Fundamentals: revenue growth against valuation

+5%+10%+15%+20%1×2×LTMC6L10550293LHALUV0670INDIGOQAN9202IAG9201AAL003490RYAAY6002210013912618EZJ601021601111.SSRevenue growth (TTM) →EV / Sales →
Further right = faster growth; higher = more expensive. The dashed lines are the peer medians. Air China is the large dot.

Capital: growth delivered against growth the price implies

-20%0%+20%+40%0%25%50%LTMC6L02930670INDIGO9202IAGRYAAY6002212618EZJ601111.SSGrowth delivered (Del g) →Growth the price implies (Req g, 7 yrs) →
Above the diagonal = the price needs more growth than the company has been delivering; below = the price already allows for a slowdown. Air China is the large dot.

Air China competitors and peer comparison

Head to head with its named competitors (601111.SS vs 600029.SS vs 600115.SS vs 600221.SS)
CompanyMarket cap6M returnRevenue growthOp. marginEV / SalesReq g
Air China 601111.SS$15.3B-7%+9%-7%1.7×10.0%
China Southern Airlines 600029.SS$12.2B-4%+8%-3%1.6×n/a
China Eastern Airlines 600115.SS$10.7B-18%+11%-6%1.7×6.9%
Hainan Airlines 600221.SS$7.85B-20%+6%-3%2.2×5.0%
Cathay Pacific Airways 0293.HK$11.7B+19%+20%11%1.1×-12.4%

How Air China compares with its peers

Peer set: Industry: the same industry and sector in any market, nearest in size. This is the same default set the interactive Competitor Analysis opens with.

Air China against its 20 peers (data as of 6 Nov 2026)
Measure601111.SSPeer medianRank in peer set
1-month return+9.6%+5.7%6th highest of 21
6-month return-6.5%+8.5%6th lowest of 21
Distance from 52-week high-33.4%-16.4%5th lowest of 21
Revenue growth (TTM)+8.5%+11.4%8th lowest of 21
Operating margin-6.7%7.3%lowest of 21
EV / Sales1.7×1.1×7th most expensive of 21
Growth the price implies (Req g, 7 yrs)10.0%-5.6%3rd most demanding of 13
Growth delivered (Del g)+19.8%+28.8%3rd lowest of 13
Hurdle (Req g minus delivered)-9.8 pp-36.4 pp2nd most demanding of 13
ROIC minus cost of capital-1.8 pp+3.0 pp7th lowest of 21
Net debt / EBITDA8.4×1.6×3rd most indebted of 19

Peer table

Peer set: Industry: the same industry and sector in any market, nearest in size
CompanyMarketMarket cap6M returnRevenue growthOp. marginEV / SalesReq gDelivered g
Air China 601111.SSChina$15.3B-7%+9%-7%1.7×10.0%+19.8%
LATAM Airlines Group SA Sponsored ADR LTMUnited States$13.8B-7%+21%14%1.2×-7.2%+29.3%
Singapore Airlines C6L.SISingapore$17.2B+11%+5%12%1.1×-11.0%+40.0%
China Southern Airlines 1055.HKHong Kong$12.3B-32%+12%0%1.9×n/an/a
Cathay Pacific Airways 0293.HKHong Kong$11.7B+19%+20%11%1.1×-12.4%+20.0%
Deutsche Lufthansa LHA.DEGermany$11.4B+7%+8%-1%0.4×n/an/a
Southwest Airlines LUVUnited States$21.8B+8%+14%5%0.8×n/an/a
China Eastern Airlines 0670.HKHong Kong$10.8B-40%+13%-4%1.8×18.6%+18.1%
InterGlobe Aviation INDIGO.NSIndia$22.4B+22%+13%8%2.6×25.5%+42.2%
Qantas Airways QAN.AXAustralia$9.79B+9%+8%7%0.8×n/an/a
Ana 9202.TJapan$9.77B+24%+17%8%0.6×-10.0%+28.4%
International Consolidated Airlines IAG.LUnited Kingdom$25.3B+9%+4%14%0.8×-3.9%+32.4%
Japan Airlines 9201.TJapan$9.08B+34%+10%8%0.6×-9.7%+33.1%
American Airlines AALUnited States$8.73B-1%+12%2%0.6×n/an/a
KAL 003490.KSSouth Korea$7.99B+20%+21%2%1.1×n/an/a
Ryanair Holdings PLC Sponsored ADR RYAAYUnited States$29.5B+2%+9%13%1.5×6.4%+56.7%
Hainan Airlines 600221.SSChina$7.85B-20%+6%-3%2.2×5.0%+18.4%
Air China Cargo 001391.SZChina$7.12B-21%+10%9%1.8×n/an/a
Eva Airways 2618.TWTaiwan$7.12B+28%+6%14%0.9×-17.0%+19.9%
easyJet EZJ.LUnited Kingdom$6.96B+90%+10%5%0.5×4.8%+27.4%
Spring Airlines 601021.SSChina$6.51B-6%+16%6%2.5×n/an/a

Questions

Who are Air China's main competitors?
Named competitors: China Southern Airlines (600029.SS), China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS), Hainan Airlines (600221.SS), Cathay Pacific (0293.HK). The cockpit's measured peer set (industry) also includes LATAM Airlines Group SA Sponsored ADR (LTM), Singapore Airlines (C6L.SI), China Southern Airlines (1055.HK), Cathay Pacific Airways (0293.HK), Deutsche Lufthansa (LHA.DE), Southwest Airlines (LUV).
Is Air China expensive compared with its peers?
On ev / sales it trades at 1.7× against a peer median of 1.1×, 7th most expensive of 21 in its peer set. For today's price to make sense, revenue must grow about 10% a year for seven years (Req g). Recent delivered growth is +20%, so the hurdle is -10 pp: the price already allows for a slowdown.
How has Air China stock performed?
Over six months to 6 Nov 2026 the shares returned -6.5% against +8.5% for the median peer; over one year -26.7%.

How these numbers are made. Returns are close-to-close in local currency. Revenue growth and margins are trailing twelve months. Req g is the revenue growth that today's enterprise value requires for seven years at the company's own cost of capital; Delivered g is what it actually grew; the gap is the hurdle (honest precision about ±8 points, so read the ranking more than the decimal). No fair values, price targets or analyst ratings are shown, by design. Method and validation.