Sky is the limit for a strong Air China, says its chairman

BEIJING - Air China, the national flag carrier, has high hopes of becoming one of the world's top five airlines in the years to come, its chairman, Kong Dong, said during an interview with China Daily.

With a fleet that is expected to nearly double in the coming five years - to more than 700 aircraft from the current 381 - Kong said Air China will then be the size of the world's current largest carrier, which was formed out of a merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines.

"A strong player is one that foreign carriers will not find easy to knock down in the competition for China's international flight market," he said, adding that Air China is already the world's largest carrier in terms of market value. Statistics show it had a market capitalization of $20 billion last year.