Uni Air

UNI Air
立榮航空
IATA
B7		 ICAO
UIA		 Callsign
GLORY
Founded 1998
Hubs Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport
Frequent-flyer program Infinity MileageLands
Airport lounge Evergreen Lounge
Fleet size 16
Destinations 27
Parent company EVA Airways Corporation
Headquarters Zhongshan, Taipei
Key people Peter Chen (President)
Website uniair.com.tw
Uni Air
Traditional Chinese 立榮航空
Simplified Chinese 立荣航空
Former name
Traditional Chinese 馬公航空
Simplified Chinese 马公航空
Literal meaning Makung International Airlines

UNI Air (Chinese: 立榮航空; pinyin: Lìróng Hángkōng) is an airline based in Zhongshan, Taipei, Taiwan.[1][2] It is a domestic and regional subsidiary of EVA Air. It was known as Makung International Airlines until 1996, when EVA Air took a majority share of the airline. In 1998, the airline merged with Great China Airlines and Taiwan Airways, which EVA Air also had interests in, to form UNI Airways (UNI Air).

The airline has had the largest market share in the domestic Taiwan market in recent years, and has expanded to include international flights. A few of its McDonnell Douglas MD-90 aircraft have been repainted and are flying for parent carrier EVA Air due to overcapacity. In recent years, Uni Air has launched services to international destinations from the southern Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung. In 2007, the airline received permission to begin flights to Japan.[3]

General

UNI Air has operated two-class services, with domestic business- and economy-class seating. Business-class passengers have access to EVA Air's Evergreen Lounges. UNI Air's predecessor, Makung International Airlines, operated a fleet of BAe 146 series jet aircraft. These aircraft were sold when Uni Air was formed. Uni Air's IATA Code is B7, its ICAO code is UIA, and its callsign is Glory, in reference to its sister company Uniglory Shipping Corporation.[4] In 2012, Uni Air unveiled a new livery and tail/logo on a MD-90 aircraft.

Destinations

McDonnell Douglas MD-90 of Uni Air in Kaohsiung (October 2006)

The airline operates mainly to domestic and China destinations, but also operates scheduled international flights to Bangkok, Hanoi and Seoul from Kaohsiung and chartered flights to Surabaya and Jeju from Kaohsiung. Uni Air's destinations (as of January 2013) are:

Uni Air's ATR 72-600 at Taipei Songshan Airport

UNI Air also operates charter flights to Yonago, Okayama, Hakodate, Miyazaki, Koriyama, Nagasaki, Obihiro, and Asahikawa in Japan, as well as Seoul, Busan, and Jeju in South Korea for various tour groups.

UNI Air previously served Wuhan, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City.

UNI Air flights connect to the EVA Air network via Taipei and Kaohsiung, with service to over 40 international destinations worldwide.

Further information: EVA Air destinations

Codeshare agreements

As of January 2013, UNI Air has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Fleet

A Uni Air Dash 8 preparing to take off in Taipei Songshan Airport

As of April 2015, the Uni Air fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 4.5 years:[5][6]

UNI Air fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 72-600 13 —[7][8] 70
McDonnell Douglas MD-90 3 — 155-170 To be replaced by ATR 72-600 & A321
Total 16 —

Incidents and Accidents

• On August 24, 1999 on an MD90, Uni Air Flight 873 has just landed at Hualien and was rolling on Runway 21, when an explosion was heard in the front section of the passenger cabin, followed by smoke and then fire. The pilot immediately braked, brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway. Then, after deploying the evacuation slides and initiating an emergency passenger evacuation, the pilot proceeded to call the tower for help. Upon receiving this call, fire squads at both the Hualien Airport and the Air Force Wing rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire. The fire was eventually put out at 13:45. While the upper part of the fuselage was completely destroyed, 90 passengers plus the crew of 6 were safely evacuated. Casualties included 14 seriously injured passengers and another 14 that suffered minor injuries. Most of the injured passengers suffered burns. Fragments produced by the explosion struck 1 passenger.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines." Flight International. March 30–5 April 2004. 88. "7F, 100 Sec 2, Chang-An E. Road, Taipei, 104, Taiwan"
  2. ↑ "關於立榮航空." UNI Air. January 3, 2008. Retrieved on March 15, 2010. "台北市（104）中山區長安東路二段100號8F"
  3. ↑ Orient Aviation - UNI Airways flights to Japan
  4. ↑ Airline Codes
  5. ↑ Uni Air fleet list at planespotters.net
  6. ↑ https://www.uniair.com.tw/uniairec/about/our_fleet.aspx
  7. ↑ EVA Air buys 10 jets for US$240m, Channel NewsAsia
  8. ↑ Taiwan’s Uni Air places firm order for ten ATR 72-600s, Flightglobal.com
  9. ↑ "Cabin explosion and fire during landing roll at Hua-Lien, Taiwan, involving a MD-90-30 on August 24, 2000" (Archive). Aviation Safety Council.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to UNI Air.