CHINESE airlines will likely work together more as the global economic slowdown damps travel demand, said Li Jiaxiang, head of the nation's aviation regulator.

"It's like people hugging to get warmer in winter," Li, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said yesterday at the Zhuhai air show in southern China. "As the regulator, I would support these kinds of moves." China Southern Airlines Co, Air China Ltd and China Eastern Airlines Corp, the nation's big three carriers, yesterday signed a pact to cooperate on maintenance in order to cut costs and delays.