Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on the Enhancement of International Competitiveness of Chinese Airlines—China Eastern Airlines' Acquisition of Shanghai Airlines

Through the comparative study of the international competitiveness of domestic and foreign airlines, the paper considers the international competitiveness of Chinese airlines is not strong enough. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A), however, could expand the scale and improve the operational efficiency of enterprises, and it is an important way to enhance the international competitiveness of airlines. Based upon profound analysis of the relationship between M&A and international competitiveness, this paper establishes an evaluation indicator system for international competitiveness of airlines, using factor analysis for evaluation. Furthermore, empirical research is made on the case of China Eastern Airlines' merger of Shanghai Airlines to testify to the effectiveness of the above-mentioned study. Through the study conclusions can be drawn that China Air Transport enterprises of mergers could obtain such effects of M&A as economies of scale and synergies and thus the international competitiveness of Chinese airlines could be enhanced.