(Yicai Global) Aug. 4 -- China Southern Airlines has appointed the daughter of Macau casino kingpin Stanley Ho, who died in 2020, an independent director of China's biggest carrier. 

Pansy Ho is an executive director of Air Macau and she previously served as chairwoman of Jetstar Hong Kong, a low-cost carrier set up by China Eastern Airlines and Qantas but which did not succeed in getting approval to operate from the special administrative region, China Southern said yesterday.

61-year-old Ho is the 22nd richest person in Hong Kong with a net worth of USD3.8 billion, according to the 2023 Forbes Hong Kong Rich List. She is a graduate of St. Cree’s University in California where she majored in marketing and international management.

Despite the recovery of the civil aviation market, international flights have been slow to bounce back, China Southern said on July 14. The sharp depreciation of the Chinese yuan and high and volatile oil prices have put the company under significant pressure.

The Guangzhou-based airline is expected to rack up losses of between CNY2.5 billion (USD348.2 million) and CNY3.3 billion in the first half. But this is still a narrowing of between 71 percent and 78 percent from the same period last year.

Editor: Kim Taylor