Air China

Air China
中国国际航空公司
Zhōngguó Guójì Hángkōng Gōngsī

File:Air China logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign CA CCA AIR CHINA
Founded	1988
Hubs	Beijing Capital Int'l Airport
Focus cities	Chengdu Shuangliu Int'l Airport Chongqing Jiangbei Int'l Airport Hangzhou Xiaoshan Int'l Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Companion
Alliance	Star Alliance (Observer Status)
Fleet size	202 (+80 orders)
Destinations	183
Parent company	China National Aviation Holding Company
Headquarters	Beijing, China
Key people	Li Jiaxiang (Chairman) Ma Xulun (President)
Website	http://www.airchina.com.cn

Not to be confused with China Airlines, the national airline of the Republic of China.

Air China (SEHK: 753) (LSE: AIRC) (中国国际航空公司, Pinyin: Zhōngguó Guójì Hángkōng Gōngsī, literally "Chinese International Aviation Company", abbreviated 国航) is the People's Republic of China's state owned and second-largest commercial airline and is based in Beijing (China Southern Airlines is the largest airline in China). It is the flag carrier and the only airline to fly the PRC national flag on its entire fleet. Its logo is a phoenix in the form of the abbreviation VIP. Its main base is Beijing Capital International Airport.

The airline flew 33.97 million passengers in 2006, with a passenger load factor of 75.9%. In the same year, it made a profit of 2.7 billion yuan, with an operating revenue of 44.9 billion yuan and total expenses standing at 42.4 billion yuan.[1]

History

Air China was established and started operations on 1 July 1988. Formerly the Beijing-based international carrier division of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), it was renamed in 1988, when the government decided to split the operating divisions of CAAC into separate airlines, each with its own name. Further deregulation of the aviation business took place in 1994, enabling foreign investment in airports and facilitating the import of aircraft built outside mainland China. By 1996 the country had 108 airports with scheduled airline services and around 30 different airlines. On 28 October 2002, Air China consolidated with China National Aviation Corporation and China Southwest Airlines.

File:DSCN2768 B-2388.JPG

Air China's Airbus A340 taking off from Beijing Capital International Airport (Dec 2004)

During 2004 as part of a consolidation of the Chinese aviation industry Air China absorbed Zhejiang Airlines (a subsidiary of CNAC). On 15 December 2004 the company listed its shares on the Hong Kong and London Stock Exchanges. Air China has shareholdings in Air China Cargo (51%), Air Macau (51%) and also holds majority shares of Shandong Airlines.

In March 2005, Air China was in talks with Swire Group, the largest shareholder of Cathay Pacific, for merger talks with Air China acquiring Cathay Pacific, and Cathay Pacific acquiring a majority stake of Dragonair. In return, the Swire Group would become the largest individual shareholder of Air China's parent company. Both airlines subsequently announced that the airlines will not merge completely in the foreseeable future, and Swire expressed its commitment in remaining as the largest shareholder of Cathay Pacific. It was also announced that Air China would cooperate with Cathay Pacific by codesharing flights in the late 2005, and would partner with Asia Miles in the second-half of 2005.

As of January 2005, Air China is owned by China National Aviation Holding Company (CNAH)(69%), public floatation (21%) and Cathay Pacific (10%). On May 22 2006, Air China signed an agreement with Lufthansa and was officially invited to join Star Alliance, a rival airline alliance of Oneworld of which Cathay Pacific is a member. A few days later on June 9 2006, a joint announcement revealed a new shareholding structure in which Air China will acquire a 17.5% stake in Cathay Pacific, while the latter will own 20% of the former.

Incidents and accidents

• On September 11, 2001, an Air China Boeing 747 from Beijing to San Francisco was escorted by two U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles onto the north runway at Vancouver International Airport during Operation Yellow Ribbon, purely due to communication problems.

• On April 15, 2002, Flight 129, a Boeing 767-200ER jet from Beijing to Busan, crashed into a hill while trying to land at Gimhae International Airport during inclement weather, killing 128 of the 166 people on board.

• On 13 March 2005, the right main gear wheels of an Air China Boeing 747-400 at LAX, sank deeply into asphalt at the edge of the taxiway as it turned on to runway 25R for take-off. The aircraft was immobilized and the runway had to be closed for 13 hours before the aircraft could be pulled free (ref: Flight International, July 2005).

• On 06 January 2007, the left wing of an Air China Boeing 747-400 bound for Beijing clipped the tail section of a Delta plane while pushing back from the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. No injuries were initially reported among the 215 passengers or 23 crew members aboard the Air China plane, the Delta aircraft was empty of passengers at the time. This incident is currently under investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Destinations

Further information: Air China destinations

Corporate Logo

Air China's logo is a representation of the word VIP (Very Important Person)

Codeshare Partners

As of March 2007, Air China had code-share agreements with these airlines:

• Air Algerie
• Air Macau
• Alitalia
• All Nippon Airways (ANA)
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Avianca
• Cathay Pacific
• Dragonair
• Finnair
• Korean Air
• Kuwait Airways
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Qatar Airways
• Qantas
• Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS)
• Shandong Airlines
• Shanghai Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic Airways

Fleet

Air China's fleet includes the following aircraft (as of March 2007):

Type	In Service	On Order	Seats	Routes	Notes
Airbus A319-100	29	6
Airbus A320-200	5
Airbus A321-200		24
Airbus A330-200	8	12
Airbus A340-300	6
Boeing 737-300	38		128 (8/120)
Boeing 737-600	6
Boeing 737-700	20
Boeing 737-800	32	23	167 (8/159)
Boeing 747-200F	4				Air China Cargo
Boeing 747-400	4		406 (18/40/348)
Boeing 747-400Combi	8		307 (18/40/249)
Boeing 747-400F	5				Air China Cargo
Boeing 757-200	13
Boeing 767-200ER	5
Boeing 767-300	4		225 (10/26/189)
Boeing 767-300ER	5
Boeing 777-200	10		345 (49/296)
Boeing 787-8		15
Total	202	80

As of February 2007, Air China's average fleet age is 7.9 years old.

Besides, Air China has 2 business jets: 1 Gulfstream IV and 1 Bombardier Learjet 45.

Air China signed agreements with :

• Airbus, on July 21 2005, for the purchase of 20 Trent 700 powered Airbus A330-200 aircraft, scheduled for delivery from May 2006.

• Boeing, on August 8 2005, for the purchase of 15 Boeing 787 aircraft for delivery from mid-2008 to end 2010.

• Airbus, on June 2006, for the purchase of 24 Airbus A320s. These aircraft are to be delivered between 2007 and 2010.

While Boeing's Orders page for 2006 reflects this order, there have been no formal news/press releases indicating the following:

• Boeing, on January 17 2006, for the purchase of 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft for delivery from end 2007 to end 2008.

Former Fleet

A couple of Lockheed Hercules aircraft superseded Antonov An-12s in the freighter role. Four BAe 146 "Whisperjet" passenger aircraft were returned to the United Kingdom during 2003.

See also

• Air China Cargo
• Star Alliance

External links

• Air China (in English)
• Air China (in Chinese)
• Air China fleet details
• Air China fleet age
• Air China Passenger Opinions

See also: List of companies in the People's Republic of China