By Martin Mou

China Southern Airlines Co. swung to a deep loss in the first half as the Covid-19 pandemic crimped air travel.

The carrier's net loss came in at 8.17 billion yuan ($1.19 billion) compared with net profit of CNY1.69 billion in the year-ago period, it said Friday.

Operating income slumped 47% to CNY38.96 billion, the airline said.

China Southern said the aviation industry may still face uncertainty in the second half and the effect of Covid-19 impact could linger.

However, the state-owned company said it expects air travel in China's domestic market to recover first on potentially strong demand. 



  Write to Martin Mou at martin.mou@wsj.com