Chinese airlines will cut overseas services to reduce losses as fuel prices soar.

An employee of China Southern Airlines (CSA) said Tuesday on condition of anonymity that CSA would cut flights from Guangzhou to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (Vietnam), Angkor (Cambodia), Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore from June to September.

Flights between Beijing and Seoul will also be affected.

Other routes affected include Los Angeles, Paris, Sydney, Jakarta, Lagos, Dubai, Delhi, Penang (Malaysia) and Fukuoka (Japan), the employee said.

At China Eastern Airlines, an official who asked not to be identified said long-haul services were unprofitable and would be slashed to cope with higher fuel prices. Where flights were retained, A330s would be substituted for Boeing 747s to reduce fuel consumption.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2008)