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Information About

Air China




  logo Air_China_logopng
  logo Size 300px
  fleet Size 208 (+82 orders) <small>incl cargo</small>
  destinations 183
  IATA CA
  ICAO CCA
  callsign AIR CHINA
  parent China National Aviation Holding Company
  founded 1988 (2002 after consolidation with China Southwest Airlines)
  headquarters Beijing , China
  key People Li Jiaxiang, Chairman <br />Cai Jianjiang, President
  hubs Beijing Capital International Airport <br> Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
  focus Cities Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport <br> Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport <br> Tianjin Binhai International Airport <br> Hohhot Baita International Airport
  frequent Flyer Companion
  lounge VIP Lounge
  alliance Star Alliance (Joining late 2007)
  website http://wwwairchinacomcn


Not to be confused with China Airlines , the national airline of the Republic Of China (Taiwan) .


Air 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 Deng Xiaoping . {Link without Title}

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 . Introduction of Air China

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 Channel News Asia - Air China stats . Air China is also accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit) for its safety practices. Air China IOSA Operators Profile


HISTORY


's Boeing 737-800 painted with Beijing Olympics 2008 Livery at Beijing Capital International Airport (July 2007)]]

's Hub at Beijing Capital International Airport (July 2007)]]

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 name1. 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 .
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 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.

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.


SUBSIDIARIES

  • Air China Cargo , flight logistics company

  • Air China Business Jet, business jet company



DESTINATIONS

See Also: Air China destinations




FLEET


Passenger

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

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

Air China has 2 other and 1 Bombardier Learjet 45 .


Aircraft orders

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 A320 s. These aircraft are to be delivered between 2007 and 2010. Air China has also stated that theres a possible order for Airbus's superjumbo, the A380 in their fleet but a 'wait-and-see' attitude to how the aircraft performs in service is going to be adopted before an eventual order might be placed.


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.



Previously operated

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


CODESHARE PARTNERS

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


ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS



SEE ALSO




EXTERNAL LINKS



REFERENCES