Boeing and Airbus can give up any hope that Chinese demand might help offset their global sales slump. The country's aviation industry regulator has advised mainland airlines to cancel or postpone aircraft deliveries in 2009, as carriers struggle with a decline in air travel demand. Clamoring for government handouts, the airlines will listen, though they may have a hard time extracting concessions from suppliers.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China released guidelines Wednesday advising airlines to cancel or delay delivery of purchased aircraft in 2009. It also asked airlines to retire old aircraft and said it will not consider any new airline applications until 2010, according to a statement. The regulator encouraged further alliances and consolidation.

The once booming Chinese airline sector is suffering from overcapacity amid a slump in travel that started in the second half of 2008 as the economy began to cool. The airlines also have suffered from a wave of steep fuel-hedging losses, as oil plunged below $50 a barrel from over $140 a barrel during the summer.

Despite the government's encouragement, it is unclear how many aircraft orders can be canceled or postponed. "I don't think too much flexibility will be given to the airlines because Boeing and Airbus are also facing declining orders" in the U.S. and Europe, said Kelvin Lau, Hong Kong-based airline analyst for Daiwa Securities. "If they allow one airline to defer delivery, many more will want to do the same."

But Boeing (nyse: BA - news - people ) might allow more leeway than its archrival Airbus, a unit of EADS (other-otc: EADSY - news - people ), as the U.S. giant is facing difficulty meeting delivery schedules due to a labor strike that ended in November, he added.

Guotai Junan Securities analyst Martin Wang said the regulator's announcement may not have much impact without incentives, and noted that the commercial decisions remain in the airlines' hands. Delivery cancellations can also be expensive, as airlines typically put up in advance up to 30% of the purchase price, Lau said. Wang estimated penalties for contract changes may run 5% to 10% of the contract price.

Chinese airlines are on course to lose big this year. Beijing injected 3 billion yuan ($437.0 million) in November into China Southern Airlines (nyse: ZNH - news - people ), which Wang expects to post a loss of nearly 1 billion yuan ($145.7 million) for 2008. Wang and Lau expect China Eastern Airlines (nyse: CEA - news - people ) to get a similar government aid package--Wang estimates it is on track to post a loss of over 3 billion yuan ($437.0 million) for the year. Air China (other-otc: AIRYY - news - people ) is in the best shape of the three big Chinese airlines and may get by without aid.

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Optimism that a prolonged global economic downturn will be averted lifted Japanese stocks Thursday, following an aggressive interest rate cut in China and assurances by President-elect Barack Obama for a swift economic rescue plan.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average added 160.17 points, or 2 percent, to 8,373.39 -- its highest level in more than a week. The broader Topix index rose 1.5 percent to 829.03.

A 1.08 percentage point reduction in China's key one-year lending rate announced late Wednesday -- its biggest rate cut since 1997 and the fourth in three months -- helped boost marine transport, steel and machinery issues by alleviating fears of a slump in China's demand for raw materials.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., the world's biggest cargo shipper, jumped 7.4 percent to 478 yen, and construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd. advanced 4.4 percent to 1,070 yen.

Overnight, U.S. markets reversed losses after Obama pledged he would have an economic plan on his first day in office. After filling more spots on his economic team, Obama declared: "help is on the way." The Dow Jones industrials rose 2.9 percent to 8,726.61.

Securities companies were among the day's biggest winners, with Nomura Holdings Inc. surging 5.3 percent to 680 yen and Daiwa Securities Group Inc. up 6.3 percent at 473 yen.

Still, investors were reluctant to drive stocks much higher amid ongoing concerns about the yen's strength and the latest terrorist attacks in India, said Mitsushige Akino, fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management in Tokyo.

"The U.S. is spending money right now on measures to boost the economy," he said. "If geopolitical risks rise, like terrorism, then it will probably have to spend even more money in response. Then that will only further weaken the dollar."

Japanese exporters in particular have been hit hard this year by the stronger yen, which reduces profits earned abroad and makes their products more expensive in overseas markets.

Shares of Panasonic Corp. declined 4.7 percent to 1,284 yen on speculation that it planned to slash its profit outlook, which it announced after the market closed. Blaming the "rapid appreciation of the yen," the Osaka-based company now expects net profit of 30 billion yen from its previous forecast of 310 billion yen.

The dollar was trading at 95.15 yen from 95.54 late Wednesday. The euro stood at $1.2887 from $1.2889.