China Airlines

Not to be confused with Air China, the national airline of People's Republic of China.
China Airlines Co., Ltd.
中華航空股份有限公司
IATA
CI		 ICAO
CAL		 Callsign
DYNASTY
Founded 1959
Hubs Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (Taipei)
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer program Dynasty Flyer
Member lounge Dynasty Lounge
Alliance SkyTeam (future)
Subsidiaries Mandarin Airlines
Fleet size 66 (+14 orders, 6 options)
Destinations 85 (incl. cargo)
Company slogan Journey with a caring smile
Parent company China Aviation Development Foundation
Headquarters Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County, Taiwan
Key people Wei, Philip Hsing-Hsiung (Chairman)
Sun, Huang-Hsiang (President)
Website china-airlines.com

China Airlines (Chinese: 中華航空公司 (pinyin: Zhōnghuá Hángkōng gōngsī), commonly abbreviated 華航) is the flag carrier of the Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan). The airline is not directly state-owned but is 54% owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation (中華航空事業發展基金會) which is owned by the Republic of China. Unlike other state-owned companies in the Republic of China, the chairperson of China Airlines does not report to the Legislative Yuan.

The airline, based at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and with headquarters in Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County, flies to destinations in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. The airline started scheduled chartered flights between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China on July, 2008. Most flights serving this market are concentrated at Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. China Airlines has operated the Hong Kong route since 1967 which is the airline's most profitable market, generating 13.3% of its NT$121.9 billion (US$3.7 billion) revenue in 2006 with over 140 flights flown a week between Taipei, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong.[1]

The airline's main competitor is EVA Air. China Airlines is expected to become a full member of SkyTeam; talks between the airline and the alliance started in 2007.[2]

Contents

History

Boeing 737-800
Airbus A340-300X
Boeing 747-400

Before the Chinese Civil War, there were three airlines operating in the Republic of China. One was Civil Air Transport, founded by General Claire L. Chennault and Whiting Willauer in 1946. The other two were joint ventures by the ROC government with Pan American World Airways and Lufthansa. As a result of the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China took control of mainland China, and only Civil Air Transport moved along with the Kuomintang (KMT)-controlled ROC government to Taiwan.[3]

With a fleet of two PBY Amphibians, China Airlines was established on December 16, 1959, with its shares completely held by the Republic of China government. It was founded by a retired air force officer and initially concentrated on charter flights. During the 1960s, China Airlines was able to establish its first domestic and international routes, and in October 1962, a flight from Taipei to Hualien became the airline's first domestic service. Growth continued and on December 1, 1966, Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) became the airline's first international destination. Trans-Pacific flights to San Francisco were initiated on February 2, 1970.

The next 20 years saw sporadic but far-reaching growth for the company. Routes were opened to Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, Dhahran and Johannesburg, among others (China Airline's first European destination was Amsterdam). Jets were acquired, and China Airlines employed such planes as the Boeing 747 in its fleet. Later, the airline inaugurated its own round-the-world flight: (Taipei-Anchorage-New York-Amsterdam-Dubai-Taipei). 1993 saw China Airlines listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Change in Logo and Livery

As the flag carrier for Taiwan (Republic of China), China Airlines has been affected by disputes over the political status of Taiwan, and under pressure from the People's Republic of China was barred from flying into a number of countries maintaining diplomatic relations with the PRC. As a result, in the mid-1990s, China Airlines subsidiary Mandarin Airlines took over some of its Sydney and Vancouver international routes. Partly as a way to avoid the international controversy, China Airlines unveiled its "plum blossom flower" logo, replacing the national flag, which had previously appeared on the tail fins (empennage), and the aircraft livery from the red-white-blue national colors on the fuselage of its aircraft, on October 7, 1995.

Throughout the 1990s, the airline employed many ex-ROC Air Force pilots. Due to the company's poor safety record in the 1990s, China Airlines began to change its pilot recruitment practices and the company began to actively recruit civilian-trained pilots with proven track records. In addition, the company began recruiting university graduates as trainees in its own pilot training program. The company also modified its maintenance and operational procedures. These decisions were instrumental in the company's improved safety record, culminating in the company's recognition by the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).[4]

Taiwan's political status proved to be a blessing in disguise for China Airlines in Japan. As Japan does not recognize Taiwan's independence, it did not allow China Airlines to use Narita International Airport. Instead, China Airlines used Tokyo International Airport (which is located within the special wards of Tokyo), an airport mainly used for domestic flights until April 18, 2002, when flights were transferred to Narita.

China Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-400 taxis after landing at Manchester Airport, England.

Some pro-Taiwan independence activists have sought to rename the airline "Taiwan Airlines", arguing that foreigners have in the past confused the airline with Air China and that "China" is not a representative name for an airline that has no scheduled flights to mainland China then. This is despite the fact that the word "China" in the airline's name actually means Zhōnghuá (中華), which refers to the Republic of China (中華民國; Zhōnghuá Mínguó) and which also refers to the Chinese culture or civilisation. This is opposed to the word Zhōngguó (中國), which would refer to the Chinese nation, and is commonly used to refer to the establishment in Beijing.

In late 2004, President Chen Shui-bian proposed the renaming of all state-owned enterprises bearing the name "China" to "Taiwan." Many consider his act as one of desinicization. This was opposed by the Pan-blue coalition, the opposition parties in the Taiwan legislature. The airline also voiced concern over its international operations, codeshare agreements and other commercial contracts.[5] The issue was dropped after the 2004 Legislative Yuan election when the pro-Chen Pan-Green Coalition failed to win a majority. In 2007, however, the issue resurfaced with the renaming of several state-owned companies such as Chunghwa Post, whose name was changed to Taiwan Post (a name that was reverted again to Chunghwa Post when the KMT won both the presidential and legislative 2008 elections) and CPC Corporation, Taiwan. [6]

China Airlines has been reported to be in talks with the SkyTeam airline alliance regarding full membership.[7]

Destinations

Codeshare agreements

China Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

In addition, China Airlines has a codeshare agreement with Deutsche Bahn.

Fleet

The China Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (at April 2010) [8]. The Boeing customer code for China Airlines is 7x7-x09.

China Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders (Options) Passengers Notes
First F Dynasty J Dynasty C Economy Y Total
Airbus A330-300 11 1 - 36 - 277 313
6 0 - 30 - 277 307
Airbus A340-300 6 0 - 30 - 246 276 To be replaced by: Airbus A350
Airbus A350-900XWB[9] 0 14 (6) - 36 - 291 327 Replacing: Airbus A340
Boeing 737-800 10 0 - - 8 150 158
Boeing 747-400 9 0 14 - 64 319 397 Version 2
4 0 12 49 - 314 375 Version 3
20 0 - - - - - Freighter
Embraer 190 10 0 - - - 104 104 Wet Leased from AE °
Total 76 15 (6)

° Not all 10 aircraft were leased.

As of April 2010 the average age of the China Airlines fleet is 7.5 years. China Airlines has the world's largest fleet of Boeing 747-400Fs.

Two of their earliest 747-400s (B-18271 and B-18272) have been given to Boeing and converted to Boeing LCFs for transportation of 787 parts. In return, four new 747-400s were delivered to China Airlines. The livery of one of the new 747s (B-18210) is a combination of the China Airlines plum blossom tail and Boeing's Dreamliner colors design. These were the four last passenger 747-400s to be manufactured and delivered, and feature the Boeing Signature interior in common with the 747-400ER and most notably the Boeing 777.

In an interview with Taiwan's Economic Daily newspaper, China Airlines' CEO announced a cabin upgrade of all the airline's Boeing 747-400s in the second half of 2008, at a cost of around $7 billion Taiwan dollars. The 747-400s will be have two new configurations, with six in a two class configuration of Dynasty (Business) Class and Economy Class for flights to regional destinations in Asia and to Amsterdam, and the others in a three class configuration of First Class, Dynasty (Business) Class and Economy Class for long haul flights to America.

The airline is undergoing a fleet renewal and simplification program. The A300-600R has been replaced with the A330-300 and there are plans for a long-haul fleet renewal. Questioned about the airline's long haul fleet renewal plan, the CEO revealed that one model from Airbus and Boeing will be selected and evaluated, with China Airlines looking at Airbus's A380 and A350 and Boeing's 747-8 and 787. He has specified that the airline will not select the Boeing 777. China Airlines was reported to have decided on six Boeing 787s on July 18, 2007; however, this report, like the previous 747-8i reports, was quickly rejected by the airline. On December 11, 2007, China Airlines signed a letter of intent to purchase 20 Airbus A350-900s to replace their fleet of Airbus A340s, and the order was confirmed on January 22, 2008. The A350 will offer 2-class (Business and Economy) service with 327 seats.[10]

Cabin

Cabin classes

Aircraft type First Class Cabin Dynasty Supreme or Dynasty Cabin Economy Cabin Notes
Airbus A330-300 N/A 36 shelled seats with 52" pitch and 140° recline. In-flight AVOD 277 seats with 31-32" pitch. In-flight AVOD
30 shelled seats with 63" pitch and 166° recline. In-flight AVOD
Airbus A340-300 N/A 30 seats with 60" pitch and 150° recline. In-flight AVOD 246 seats with 31-32" pitch. In-flight AVOD To be replaced by A350-900XWB in 2015. In-flight AVOD
Boeing 737-800 N/A 8 seats with 40" pitch and minimal recline. 150 seats with 31" pitch.
Boeing 747-400 14 seats with 83" pitch and 180° lie-flat sleeper. 64 seats with 47-50" pitch and 130° recline. 319 seats with 31-32" pitch. All aircraft to be renovated in March 2011.
12 suite seats with 83" pitch and 180° recline. In-flight AVOD 49 seats with 60" pitch and 140° recline. In-flight AVOD 314 seats with 31-32" pitch. In-flight AVOD B-18210 featured China Airlines plum blossom tail and Boeing's Dreamliner colors design.
Embraer E190 N/A N/A 104 seats with 31-32" pitch and minimal recline. Wet leased from Mandarin Airlines.

In-flight entertainment

In-flight catering

Dynasty Class dinner

Dynasty Flyer

Dynasty Flyer is China Airlines' frequent flyer program. There are four tiers where three elite tiers are Gold, Emerald, and Paragon. Members can qualify for these elite tiers by earning enough air miles and/or segments within 12 calendar months. Elite members have more privileges such as access to the VIP Lounge, a higher checked baggage allowance, and being able to upgrade their ticket to a different cabin. All elite memberships last two year and soft landings are available.

Headquarters

The China Airlines Taipei Branch Office and the former China Airlines headquarters in Songshan District, Taipei

China Airlines has its headquarters, CAL Park (Chinese: 華航園區 Huáháng Yuánqū[11]), on the grounds of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and in Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. CAL Park, located at the airport entrance forms a straight line with Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and the future Terminal 3.[12]

On Friday, March 26, 2010, China Airlines moved into its new headquarters.[13] The airline held an inauguration ceremony for the facility on that day.[12] CAL Park, with 16,520 square metres (177,800 sq ft) (1.65 hectare) of space, includes all of China Airlines's passenger and cargo executive operations, aircraft operations, ground handling services, maintenance, and simulator training. The Novotel Taipei hotel will be on the property.[14] The nine story hotel was scheduled to have 360 guest rooms.[15] The building design was intended to evoke the concept of flight and the building's colors include blue, gray, silver, and white.[16]

In September 2006 China Airlines established and invested $300,000,000 into the wholly owned Cal Park Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 華航園區股份有限公司 Huáháng Yuánqū Gǔfěn Yǒuxiàngōngsī[17]) with the intention of building a new corporate headquarters.[18] On January 31, 2008 China Airlines began work CAL Park.[19] The groundbreaking ceremony was held on that day.[20] Over 100 guests, including government officials, officers of the airport authority, vendors, executive representatives of China Airlines, and media personnel, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.[16] The 4.5 billion New Taiwan dollar CAL Park was originally scheduled to open at the end of 2009.[19] The complex consists of four towers. The groundbreaking ceremony of CAL Park was on January 31, 2008. The developer of CAL Park was CAL Park Co. Limited. The complex was under a 50 year contract which consists of 3 years of construction and 47 years of operation.[20]

Previously China Airlines had its headquarters in Songshan District, Taipei.[21][22] Previously China Airlines had operations at its headquarters, facilities on the east side of Taipei Songshan Airport, and at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The airline will consolidate all of those functions in its new headquarters site. The airline will rent space in the six floors making up its former headquarters to tenants. The monthly rent will be $2,000 New Taiwan Dollars per ping. In September 2009 the airline estimated that it would make $7 million NTW in monthly rental income. Han Liang-zhong, a China Airlines vice president, said that the rental income would cover the bank loans that the airline borrowed to finance the construction of the CAL Park.[15] As a result of the headquarters move, China Airlines will develop part of the training center at Taipei Songshan Airport into a business aviation center.[23] The airline's Taipei Branch Office (Chinese: 台北分公司 Táiběi Fēngōngsī[24]) remains at the former headquarters site.[25]

Private bus services in the United States

In the United States China Airlines operates private bus services from airports with China Airlines flights to areas.[26]

The airline operates a bus to John F. Kennedy International Airport from Fort Lee, Parsippany-Troy Hills, and Edison in New Jersey and Chinatown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[27] The Taipei Times reported that passengers "highly appreciated" the China Airlines JFK bus service.[26]

The airline operates a bus to San Francisco International Airport from Milpitas and Cupertino in California.[28] The airline operates a bus to Los Angeles International Airport from Monterey Park and the Rowland Heights area of unincorporated Los Angeles County in California.[29]

Previously the airline operated free buses in Houston, Texas and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.[26]

Incidents and accidents

A CG render of B-18255, the Boeing 747 on China Airlines Flight 611 that disintegrated in mid-air. The 747-200 was the last one in the airline's fleet.

China Airlines has suffered the following incidents and accidents since its formation. The last fatal accident occurred in 2002 (as of 23 June 2010):

References

  1. ↑ China Airlines
  2. ↑ ATW Daily News
  3. ↑ William M. Leary, Perilous Missions, Civil Air Transport and CIA Covert Operations in Asia, The University of Alabama Press, Alabama, 1984
  4. ↑ China Airlines
  5. ↑ "archives". Taipei Times. 2006-03-19. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/03/19/2003298097. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  6. ↑ Ho, Jessie. MOEA launches state-run name change campaign. Taipei Times. Saturday February 3, 2007. Retrieved on March 11, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Hyundai Engineering, Spark, Rusal: Asia Ex-Japan Equity Preview". BusinessWeek. 2010-06-29. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-29/hyundai-engineering-spark-rusal-asia-ex-japan-equity-preview.html. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  8. ↑ "CAL at a Glance," China Airlines
  9. ↑ "中華航空公司 China Airlines" (in (Chinese)). China-airlines.com. http://www.china-airlines.com/ch/newsch/newsch000856.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  10. ↑ China Airlines
  11. ↑ "「華航園區新建工程」1月31日隆重舉行開工動土典禮2009年底完工 將成為臺灣桃園國際機場地標." China Airlines. Retrieved on April 24, 2010. "「華航園區」預定2009年底前完工營運， ..."
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "China Airlines Inaugurates CAL Park at Taoyuan Airport." China Airlines. March 26, 2010. Retrieved on March 26, 2010.
  13. ↑ "move.htm." China Airlines. Retrieved on March 15, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Premier Liu Inspects Construction Progress at CAL Park and Novotel Taipei Taoyuan Hotel." China Airlines. April 17, 2009. Retrieved on September 29, 2009.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Staff. "CAL to inaugurate new HQ near Taoyuan airport." The China Post. Thursday September 10, 2009. Retrieved on March 15, 2010.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Staff. "China Airlines breaks ground for future HQ." The China Post. Friday February 1, 2008. Retrieved on April 24, 2010.
  17. ↑ "公司基本資料." China Airlines. Retrieved on April 24, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Financial Statements for the Years Ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 and Independent Auditors’ Report." China Airlines. 19 (21/52). Retrieved on April 24, 2010.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Karantzavelou, Vicky. "China Airlines breaks ground for future headquarters at Taoyuan International Airport at Travel Daily News, Thursday January 31, 2008. Retrieved on February 2, 2009.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "China Airlines Breaks Ground for Future Headquarters at Taoyuan International Airport." China Airlines. January 31, 2008. Retrieved on March 26, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Investor Relations." China Airlines. Retrieved on May 20, 2009. "Address: No.131, Sec. 3, Nanjing E. Rd., Taipei City 104, Taiwan (R.O.C.)"
  22. ↑ "Cargo." Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Retrieved on March 15, 2010. "Address: 12F., No.131, Sec. 3, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan District, Taipei City 105, Taiwan (R.O.C.)."
  23. ↑ Staff. "Plans for faster service at Songshan Airport: CAA." The China Post. July 5, 2009. Retrieved on March 15, 2010.
  24. ↑ "臺灣地區." China Airlines. Retrieved on April 24, 2010
  25. ↑ "Branch Offices Taiwan Area." China Airlines. Retrieved on April 24, 2010.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "China Airlines releases special online promotions." Taipei Times. Friday August 17, 2007. Page 4. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
  27. ↑ "Complimentary Bus Service Provided To/From JFK International Airport Terminal One." China Airlines. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.
  28. ↑ "South Bay - SFO Int'l Airport Bus Service." China Airlines. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.
  29. ↑ "Complimentary Bus Service to LAX." China Airlines. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.
  30. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750326-1. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
  31. ↑ "China Airlines Boeing 737-800 destroyed by fire". Flight Global. 2007-08-20. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/20/216224/video-china-airlines-boeing-737-800-destroyed-by-fire.html. Retrieved 2007-08-20. 
  32. ↑ Debby Wu (2007-08-20). "165 Safe After Plane Explodes in Japan". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6864077,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-20. 
  33. ↑ Francis, Leithen (2007-08-24). "CAL 737-800 that caught fire had punctured fuel tank.". Flight Global. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/24/216283/cal-737-800-that-caught-fire-had-punctured-fuel-tank.html. Retrieved 2007-08-26. 

External links