China may inject more funds into top airlines: report

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's state asset manager is considering whether to inject $454 million more into the country's top three airlines, the Shanghai Securities reported on Wednesday, after state-owned firms lost more than $4 billion in 2008 amid the global financial slowdown.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission under the State Council, China's cabinet, recently convened meetings to discuss the possible injection, but no timetable had been set, the official newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.

Under the latest plan, the government would inject 1.5 billion yuan each into China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, and 100 million yuan into flagship carrier Air China, the newspaper said.

The reported 3.1 billion yuan ($454 million) capital injection would follow the government's previously approved injection of 7 billion yuan into China Eastern and 3 billion yuan into China Southern.

(Reporting by Lu Jianxin and Edmund Klamann; Editing by Ken Wills)