Jump to content

Air China

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Liyuan0611 (talk | contribs) at 15:25, 18 May 2007 (Subsidiaries). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Air China
中国国际航空公司
Zhōngguó Guójì Hángkōng Gōngsī
File:Air China logo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign
CA CCA AIR CHINA
Founded1988
HubsBeijing Capital International Airport
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
Focus citiesHangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Tianjin Binhai International Airport
Hohhot Baita International Airport
Frequent-flyer programCompanion
AllianceStar Alliance (Observer Status)
Fleet size203 (+82 orders) incl. cargo
Destinations183
Parent companyChina National Aviation Holding Company
HeadquartersBeijing, China
Key peopleMa Xulun (President)
Li Jiaxiang (Chairman)
Websitehttp://www.airchina.com.cn
Not to be confused with China Airlines, the national airline of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Air China (SEHK: 753) (LSE: AIRC) (Chinese: 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 after China Southern Airlines. It is the flag carrier and the only airline to fly the PRC national flag on its entire fleet. Its logo consists of a phoenix in the form of the abbreviation VIP, and "Air China" in both English and Chinese, which was autographed by the legendary Deng Xiaoping.[1]

Air China's main hubs are Beijing Capital International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, with other focus cities at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport and Hohhot Baita International Airport. [1]

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[2]. Air China is also accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit) for its safety practices.[3]

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[4]. 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. [citation needed]

In March 2005, Air China was in talks with Swire Group, the largest shareholder of Cathay Pacific, for 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 late 2005, and would partner with Asia Miles in the second-half of 2005. [citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Subsidiaries

Destinations

Main article: Air China destinations

Fleet

Passenger

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

Type In Service[5] On Order Seats[6] Routes Notes
Airbus A319-100 29 6 128 (8/120)
Airbus A320-200 5 164 (8/156)
Airbus A321-200 24 Entry into service: 2008
Airbus A330-200 9 11 283 (12/271)
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 747-400 4 406 (18/40/348)
Boeing 747-400Combi 8 307 (18/40/249)
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 Entry into service: 2008
Total 194 79

As of February 2007, Air China's average fleet age is 7.9 years old[7].

Air China has 2 other business jets: 1 Gulfstream IV and 1 Bombardier Learjet 45. [citation needed]

Aircraft orders

Air China signed agreements with :

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

Previously operated

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. [citation needed]

Codeshare Partners

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

Accident

Incidents

  • 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 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[8].
  • 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.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air China.

References

  1. ^ Introduction of Air China
  2. ^ Channel News Asia - Air China stats
  3. ^ Air China IOSA Operators Profile
  4. ^ Flight International 27 March 2007
  5. ^ www.planespotters.net. "Air China fleets".
  6. ^ Air China. "Seat Maps". Air China. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  7. ^ Air China fleet age
  8. ^ Flight International July 2005
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Air_China&oldid=131791576"