China AirlinesBenedict Gombocz

Background

Taiwan’s airline and flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Has its headquarters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport; has roughly 11,000 employees.

Operates more than 1,300 flights every week to ninety-five airports in ninety-one cities in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Was, in 2013, the world’s 29th biggest airline with respect to passenger RPK (revenue per kilometer) and the ninth biggest with respect to freight RPK.

Has three subsidiaries: Mandarin Airlines operates flights to domestic and regional destinations with smaller demands; China Airlines Cargo operates a fleet of freighter aircraft and regulates its parent airline’s cargo-hold capability; Tigerair Taiwan is a planned low-cost carrier scheduled to begin operations in late 2014.

Hubs and focus cities

Hubs: Kaohsiung International Airport Taiwan Taoyuan International

Airport (Taipei)

Focus cities: Hong Kong International Airport Singapore Changi Airport Kansai International Airport

(Osaka) Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok)

Headquarters

The airline’s headquarters, CAL Park (Chinese: 華航園區 ; pinyin: Huáháng Yuánqū), is located on the property of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County.

CAL Park, located at the entrance to the airport, makes a straight line with Terminals 1 and 2, as well as with the future Terminal 3.

China Airlines was formerly headquartered in Songshan District in Taipei.

It also formerly had operations at its headquarters, facilities on the east side of Taipei Songshan Airport, and at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport; the airline combined all of those functions in its new headquarters site.

The airline will rent space in the six floors that make up its previous headquarters to occupants; $2,000 New Taiwan Dollars per ping will be the regular rent.

The airline estimated in September 2009 that it would make $7 million NTW in regular rental revenue.

Han Liang-zhong, a China Airlines vice president, said that the rental revenue would pay for the bank mortgages that the airline used to fund the CAL Park’s construction.

China Airlines, as a consequence of the headquarters relocating, will change part of the training center at Taipei Songshan Airport into a business aviation center.

The Taipei Branch Office (Chinese: 台北分公司 ; pinyin: Táiběi Fēngōngsī), however, is still at the site of the former headquarters.

Branding: Livery and uniforms

China Airlines had a livery with the flag of the Republic of China on its tail before it introduced the current “plum blossom“ livery in 1995.

The carrier updated its livery because of political pressure from the Chinese government.

The mainland government forbade any aircraft flying with the Republic of China flag used to land in the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau; it also pressured other nations to enact similar bans.

This made China Airlines alter its corporate identify so its operations would not be affected.

After it entered SkyTeam in 2011, the airline made changes to its logo in an attempt to modify its brand image.

A new font was selected for the airline name, and a new method was assumed for the appearance of the plum blossom logo.

Since its establishment in 1959, the carrier has had numerous uniforms.

The current uniform was introduced in 2007 in observance of the airline’s 48th anniversary.

A new uniform is scheduled to begin in September 2014, together with the launch of the new Boeing 777-300ER.

Branding: Marketing slogans

During its years in operation, China Airlines has used a number of slogans.

The current slogan was introduced in 2006 for the new uniforms and to observe the airline’s 47th anniversary.

China Airlines has used these slogans: We treasure every encounter (1987-1995) We blossom everyday (1995-2006) Journey with a caring smile (since 2006)

Destinations

China Airlines operates the majority of its flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, its main hub near Taipei, Taiwan; here, the airline’s flight operations are in Terminals 1 and 2.

Both the carrier’s regional and European flights are mainly in Terminal 1.

Its long-haul flights, in particular its flights to the U.S. and Australia, are mainly in Terminal 2.

China Airlines and its domestic subsidiary Mandarin Airlines additionally operate a number of flights from Kaohsiung International Airport and Taipei Songshan Airport.

Outside of Taiwan, the carrier’s focus cities are mainly Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok), Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong), and Kansai International Airport (Osaka).

Taiwan’s political status, which generally has restricted access for Taiwanese flights to Europe and specific Asian countries, affected China Airlines’ route network during the mid-2000s.

China Airlines used Hong Kong as its interline destination as Taiwanese carriers had no direct access to China.

In 2008, the carrier began to operate frequent charter flights to China.

After direct travel links were reopened in December 2008, the airline started recurrently scheduled direct cross-strait operations.

Currently, China Airlines operates flights (this includes pure cargo flights) to ninety-five airports on four different continents, with a well-advanced Asian route.

Codeshare agreements

China Airlines has codeshare agreements with these airlines (fellow SkyTeam members marked with a *):

Alitalia* China Eastern Airlines* China Southern Airlines* Czech Airlines* Delta Air Lines* Garuda Indonesia* Hawaiian Airlines Japan Airlines KLM* Korean Air* Scandinavian Airlines Shanghai Airlines Thai Airways International Transaero Airlines Vietnam Airlines* Xiamen Airlines*

China Airlines additionally has a codeshare agreement with Deutsche Bahn.

China Airlines Boeing 747-400 in SkyTeam livery

Interline agreements

China Airlines has interline agreements with these airlines: Virgin America WestJet

Fleet: Fleet plans

China Airlines is going through a long-haul fleet renewal process.

In 2008, the airline ordered fourteen Airbus A350-900 aircraft, together with six additional choices.

In 2012, an order for six Boeing 777-300ER and a lease contract with GECAS for four more of the type were approved.

Both the Airbus A350-900 and the Boeing 777-300ER will replace the airline’s Airbus A340-400 and Boeing 747-400 on international networks.

Starting in 2016, deliveries of the Airbus A350-900 will begin, while those for the Boeing 777-300ER are due to begin in September 2014.

In June 2014, the carrier announced that it would retire all of its Boeing 747-400s; by late 2014, one Boeing 747-400 will be withdrawn from the fleet.

In regards to the narrow-body fleet, China Airlines President Sun Hung-Hsiang announced in October 2013 that the carrier has plans to order twenty to twenty-five narrow-body aircraft for itself, with an additional eight or more for its subsidiary Mandarin Airlines; two types being considered by the airline are the Boeing 737MAX and the Airbus A320neo.

China Airlines has also been manufacturing Airbus A330-300s and Boeing 737-800s in order to fulfill short-term demands.

Fleet: Cargo

China Airlines cargo is the carrier’s freight division; it operates in Asia, Europe, and North America.

It operates a fleet of nineteen freighters to thirty-eight international destinations, apart from exploiting the cargo space on its passenger aircraft.

China Airlines operates one of the world’s biggest fleets of Boeing 747-400Fs.

The cargo division was ranked seventh in the freight grouping of the 2008 World’s Top 25 Airlines by Air Transport World.

China Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-400F

Fleet: Cargo fleet plans

China Airlines has risked falling cargo demands; it has sent three Boeing 747-400Fs to an aircraft boneyard at Victorville Airport for storage.

The End YouTube links:

1995 China Airlines Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PadaXSGifyE

China Airlines joins SkyTeam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn5QwBfaaP8