Xinhua News Agency, London, April 30 (Reporter Gao Wencheng) Brand Finance Group, a brand valuation agency headquartered in London, England, released the "Top 50 Most Valuable Brands in the Global Aviation Industry 2026" report on April 30. It showed that a total of 11 Chinese aviation brands were on the list, ranking first in the world in terms of the number of brands on the list.
The report shows that China Southern Airlines, Air China, and China Eastern Airlines rank among the top three Chinese airlines on the list. In the list of the top 25 global airport brands released at the same time, airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were on the list, reflecting the continued enhancement of the competitiveness of China's aviation hubs.
According to the latest data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, China's tourism economic output will grow by 9.9% in 2025, a growth rate that is more than twice the global average. The agency predicts that China is expected to become the world's largest tourism economy by 2030.
Yideng Chen, President of Brand Financial Group China, said that with the continuous expansion of China’s visa-free policy and the in-depth implementation of facilitation measures such as 144-hour transit visa-free, the inbound tourism market continues to heat up. Chinese airports and airlines continue to optimize service guarantees, passenger experience continues to improve, and international visibility and reputation are steadily increasing.
The report also pointed out that from the perspective of the global aviation industry as a whole, the industry has entered a stage of structural performance improvement from recovery in 2025. However, the outbreak of the war in the Middle East at the beginning of this year and its spillover effects have brought new impacts to global airlines.
The report said that hub airlines in the Gulf region have been the most severely affected. Their routes are highly dependent on Gulf transit hubs and smooth airspace. Once restricted, they will face structural operating pressures. At the same time, low-cost airlines in South Asia are also significantly affected by the conflict due to their sensitive market prices and weak ability to withstand fluctuations. European full-service airlines are also facing challenges such as rising fuel costs.
