三大航空公司中实力最弱的中国东航(China Eastern Airlines)宣布，将任命中国南航董事长(China Southern Airlines)刘绍勇为公司董事，取代现任董事长李丰华。

中国东航还宣布，将委任中国主要航空公司——中国国航(Air China)高管马须伦为东航股份公司总经理。

据中国东航官员表示，马须伦所取代的曹建雄，将调任中国国航母公司的副总裁，这似乎是直截了当的职务对调。

“我们都是在党的领导之下，这些决定都是由[中共中央]组织部作出的，”中国南航的一名官员告诉英国《金融时报》。

共产党经常轮换大型国有企业的高层经理，而这些企业理应是竞争中的死对头。近年来，中国对电信业和金融业进行大规模重组之前，都进行了这样的轮换。

近来，中国航空业受到乘客人数不断下降和油价暴跌所造成的巨额对冲亏损的打击，其中中国东航在大型航空公司中表现最差。

荷兰银行(ABN Amro)驻上海的交通业分析师邓子杰(Osbert Tang)表示：“政府调动官员的意图是，改善中国东航的经营业绩，为这家国有航空公司与市属航空公司之间的合并创造条件。”

中国政府已表明有意整合航空业，中国东航一直在与规模较小的竞争对手上海航空公司(Shanghai Airlines)商讨可能的合并事宜。

英语原文

Beijing has reshuffled senior officials among China's three largest state-owned airlines as a prelude to an overhaul of the troubled industry and an expected wave of state-directed mergers.

China Eastern Airlines, the weakest of the big three carriers, said it would appoint Liu Shaoyong, chairman of China Southern Airlines, as a director of the company, replacing the current chairman, Li Fenghua.

China Eastern also said it would appoint Ma Xulun, a senior official at the country's flag carrier Air China, as president and executive director.

The man he replaces, Cao Jianxiong, would become deputy president of Air China's parent company in what appeared to be almost a straight swap, China Eastern officials said.

“We are all under the leadership of the party and it is up to the organisation department [of the Communist party of China central committee] to make these decisions,” one official from China Southern told the Financial Times.

The Communist party often rotates senior managers between large state-owned companies that are supposedly bitter competitors and such reshuffles have preceded big shake-ups in the Chinese telecoms and financial sectors in recent years.

The country's airline industry has been buffeted by falling passenger numbers and huge hedging losses caused by plummeting oil prices, with China Eastern the worst performer of the major carriers.

“By moving officials around, the government's intention is to improve the operating performance of China Eastern and pave the way for mergers among the state-owned and city-owned airlines,” said Osvert Tang, transport analyst at ABN Amro in Shanghai.

The government has signalled its intention to consolidate the industry and China Eastern has been talking with smaller rival Shanghai Airlines about a possible merger.