China Southern Airlines has been honored with an "Outstanding Contribution to Society" award at the Social Responsibility and Harmonious Society 2007 Forum organized by Xinhua News Agency.
China Southern says it was the only Civil Aviation enterprise to win this title. Liu Shaoyong, chairman of China Southern Airlines, accepted the award and made a speech at the forum.
As the largest airline in the People's Republic of China, China Southern puts a premium on flight safety, and a strong sense of social responsibility of an airline company. Now the company has 316 modern Airbus and Boeing jet aircraft and operates more than 1,400 flights per day.
China Southern says it has worked diligently to ensure safe flight operations and recently earned the Four-Star Flight Safety Award from CAAC, the most prestigious award in the Chinese aviation industry. In 2005, China Southern established the Ten-fen Caring Foundation raising RMB20 million to date through RMB0.1 donations from every ticket sold. About RMB5 million from the fund has been used to help impoverished students every year since the fund was created.
During the past two years since the foundation's formation, nearly 3,000 students from more than 10 universities around China will complete their courses thanks to donations made by China Southern.
In 2006, after Typhoon Bilis brought disaster to Guangdong Province, China Southern Airlines organized a collection of donations among all employees raising more than RMB12 million. In 2004 and 2006, China Southern successively launched its "Sunny Youth" program to honor exceptional young people, sponsoring communication activities between Chinese and Korean children. China Southern also helped the local governments in Moyu and Pishan County in Xinjiang to build a kindergarten and elementary school.
In 2000 and 2006, the airline dispatched the best airplanes and aircrew to airlift Chinese nationals to safety from the then turbulent Solomon Islands. In 2006, China Southern Zhuhai Helicopter Company, together with the Chinese Transportation Ministry, accomplished 66 salvages and saved 98 lives.
