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China Southern Debuts "Remote Doctor" Arial Repair System

27 June 2002

China Southern Airlines (NYSE: ZNH) (HKSE: 1055), the largest airline in The People's Republic of China is pleased to announce that its engineers have pioneered and perfected the first Aircraft Remote Diagnosing & Real Tracking System (ACRDRTS) in The People's Republic of China.

In the world of commercial aviation - the desire has never been stronger as engineers have long dreamed of having a remote "doctor in the air" ­ one that can foresee a potential problem during flight and prescribe "medicine" to cure this ailment.

The solution is simple ­ accurately decode and analyze an aircraft's technical information (transmitted from the air to the ground in real time via ground-air data link) via ACARS (Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System). Once the code of the potential trouble is defined, maintenance staff can immediately recommend the trouble shooting necessary from the maintenance manuals.

China Southern Airlines' Engineering Department formally began to develop the ACRDRTS system in 2001 and at the end of April 2002, the airline's maintenance headquarters in Guangzhou - GAMECO - tested the system's data download reliability as well as remote monitoring and transmission.

Mr. Chen Xihui, Project Manager and Engineer of China Southern Airlines' Engineering Department said, "GAMECO's validation of the system's key functions indicates the development of the system has achieved the expected success."

"Here is the scenario - can an aircraft, flying at 30,000 feet, find a problem with its on-board systems and prescribe a solution to fix the problem before landing? If prior to the aircraft landing, this "doctor" could literally "write out a prescription" and prepare on-board computer systems to administer the "medicine" (i.e.: prepare for trouble-shooting measures and spare parts) in accordance with the previously remote diagnosed conclusion?" asked Mr. Chen.

He explained that while the aircraft is on route to its destination and prior to it landing, the diagnosed "ailments" will already be outlined on a computer terminal and maintenance engineers on the ground will have the parts ready to fix the aircraft when its arrives at the gate. This significantly shortens the time the aircraft needs to be parked on the tarmac and lowers the flight delay rate caused by the aircraft maintenance "trouble-shooting", further reducing the company maintenance cost. 

"Real monitoring and remote maintenance has today become a reality in International maintenance industry," said Mr. Chen. 

China Southern Airlines' ACRDRTS system currently provides two trouble-shooting options:

1. According to the remote computer trouble-shooting codes, maintenance staff can directly log onto China Southern's time-tested TDMS (Technical Documentation Management System) and seek out the related maintenance information and the best approach to solve the potential problem;

2. Directly log onto the "Specialist Experience Repository" where maintenance staff can review specific aircraft records for description, judgement and treatment and promptly determine the best trouble shooting measures.

Apart from forecasting potential maintenance problems before they occur and determining the best trouble shooting procedures, the ACRDRTS system can also gather aircraft engine performance data collected in real time while the aircraft is in flight and transmit it to the company's engine performance control department. Thus real time monitoring of aircraft engines have become a reality. 

"Compared with the previous disk data copy on board the parked aircraft, the real-time collected data accurately reflects the engine performance. This again further enhances engine maintenance efficiency and reduces maintenance costs," said Mr. Chen.

The ACRDRTS system will be implemented first on China Southern Airlines' Boeing 777 fleet, and then extended to the airline's Airbus A320 and its future Boeing 737-800, 747-400 (freighter) fleet. All of these aircraft are equipped with ACARS system. When all of China Southern Airlines' aircraft are installed with ACARS, the entire fleet will adopt this revolutionary remote maintenance system. 

The largest airline in The People's Republic of China for the past 23 years, China Southern Airlines connects more than 80 cities around the globe. Major business and vacation destinations served in China include: Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan and as well as international service, including: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Osaka, Penang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

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