China Southern now world's third largest airline

DOHA - China Southern is now the third largest airline in the world for passengers carried, according to ratings released at the 70th IATA Annual General Meeting. First and second are the US carriers, Delta and  Southwest Airlines, with 120.6 million and 115.3 million passengers respectively. China Southern is third on 91.5 million passengers, moving from fifth place in 2012.

China Southern's fleet of 558 aircraft is the largest in Asia and the fifth largest in the world.  The airline ranked seventh in terms of cargo, with 1.17 million tonnes of freight flown around the world in 2013 (ATI).