Air China

This article is about the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China. For the flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan), see China Airlines.

Air China
中国国际航空公司
IATA ICAO Call sign
CA CCA AIR CHINA / 国航
Founded1 July 1988; 36 years ago (1988-07-01)
Hubs
Secondary hubs
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer programPhoenixMiles
AllianceStar Alliance
Subsidiaries
Fleet size507
Destinations203[2]
Parent company
Traded as
HeadquartersBeijing Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone, Shunyi District, Beijing, China
Key people
Employees65,000 (2023)
Websitewww.airchina.com
Air China Limited
Simplified Chinese中国国际航空股份公司
Traditional Chinese中國國際航空股份公司
Literal meaningChina International Airlines, Company Limited by Shares
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōngguó guójì hángkōng gǔfèn gōngsī
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese中国国际航空公司
Traditional Chinese中國國際航空公司
Literal meaningChina International Airlines Company
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōngguó guójì hángkōng gōngsī
Air China
Simplified Chinese国航
Traditional Chinese國航
Literal meaningNational Airline
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuóháng

Air China, officially Air China Limited, (中国国际航空公司) is a major Chinese airline and is the flag carrier airline of the People's Republic of China. It is headquartered in Shunyi, Beijing. The airline offers both domestic and international flights to different destinations around China and the world.

The airline was established in 1988 after the former Chinese flag carrier CAAC was split into six airlines, one of them being Air China. The airline is one of the largest airlines in China. It is 53.46% owned by the state-owned China National Aviation Holding.

Air China's hub airports are based in Beijing and Chengdu. In 2017, the airline carried 102 million domestic and international passengers with an average load factor of 81%.[3] The airline joined Star Alliance in 2007.

History

Early years

Air China Boeing 747SP at Zürich Airport in 1992

Air China was established and commenced operations on 1 July 1988 as a result of the Chinese government's decision in late 1987 to split the operating divisions of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC Airlines) into six separate airlines: Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, China Northern, China Southwest, and China Northwest.[4][5] Air China was given chief responsibility for intercontinental flights and took over the CAAC's long haul aircraft (Boeing 707s, 747s and 767s) and routes.

In January 2001, the former CAAC's six airlines agreed on a merger plan,[6] according to which Air China was to acquire China Southwest Airlines. Before this acquisition, Air China was the country's fourth largest domestic airline. The merger created a group with assets of 56 billion Yuan (US$8.63 billion), and a fleet of 118 aircraft.[7] In October 2002, Air China consolidated with the China National Aviation Holding and China Southwest Airlines.[8]

On 15 December 2004, Air China was successfully listed on the Hong Kong and London Stock Exchanges. In 2006, Air China signed an agreement to join the Star Alliance. It became a member of the alliance on 12 December 2007 alongside Shanghai Airlines.

In July 2009, Air China acquired $19.3 million of shares from its troubled subsidiary Air Macau, lifting its stake in the carrier from 51% to 81%.[9] One month later, Air China spent HK$6.3 billion (US$813 million) to raise its stake in Cathay Pacific from 17.5% to 30%, expanding its presence in Hong Kong.[10]

Development since 2010

In April 2010, Air China completed the increase of shareholdings in Shenzhen Airlines and became the controlling shareholder of Shenzhen Airlines, allowing Air China to further enhance its position in Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai as well as achieve a more balanced domestic network.[11]

On 2 December 2010, Air China received Spain's highest tourism industry award, the "Plaque for Tourist Merit." Air China was the first foreign airline to receive the award, which is given to organisations and individuals contributing to the Spanish tourism industry.[12]

On 23 December 2010, Air China became the first Chinese airline to offer combined tickets that include domestic flights and shuttle bus services to nearby cities. The first combined flight-shuttle bus ticket connected Tianjin via shuttle bus with domestic flights passing through Beijing.[13]

Air China began offering free Wi-Fi internet service on board its aircraft on 15 November 2011, making it the first Chinese carrier to offer this service.[14] However the service is not allowed on smartphones, only tablets and laptops.[15]

In 2012, after pressure from PETA, Air China stated that it would no longer transport monkeys to laboratories. PETA welcomed the airline's announcement.[16]

On 3 July 2013, in time for the company's 25th anniversary, Air China successfully tested Wireless LAN in flight. It was the first global satellite Internet flight in Mainland China.[17]

In early 2015 it was announced that the airline had selected the Boeing 737 Next Generation and 737 MAX for its fleet renewal programme of 60 aircraft. The deal, with a value of over $6 billion at current list prices, has yet to be finalised.[18]

Corporate affairs

See also: China National Aviation Holding § Business trends
Air China HQ building
Current uniform of Air China (2003–present), designed by Olivier Lapidus, son of Ted Lapidus

The entity Air China Limited was registered in 2003, and its shares began trading in Hong Kong and London on 15 December 2004. Originally the airline corporate entity was Air China International, which was founded 2002 Air China International incorporated China Southwest Airlines and the air transportation services of the China National Aviation Corporation, becoming a new entity.[19]

The Air China HQ Building (国航总部大楼; 國航總部大樓; Guó Háng Zǒngbù Dàlóu), the corporate headquarters, is located in Zone A of the Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone (天竺空港工业区; 天竺空港工業區; Tiānzhú Kōng Gǎng Gōngyèqū) in Shunyi District, Beijing.[19][20][21] The company registered office is on the ninth floor of the Blue Sky Mansion (蓝天大厦; 藍天大廈; Lántiān Dàshà), also in Zone A of the Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone.[22]

Air China is primarily based in its hub of Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK), where it operates numerous long-range aircraft on routes to North America, Europe, South America, Africa and Australia. Its fleet is made up of an assortment of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including: Boeing 737s, 747s, 777s, 787s along with Airbus A319s, A320s, A321s and A330s. Air China also operates hubs in Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, where it primarily flies domestic routes, as well as Shanghai Pudong International Airport, from which many international routes are served.[citation needed]

Ownership structure

[23] Owner Percentage of shares held
1 Aviation Corporation of China 40.53
2 Cathay Pacific 16.26
3 Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company 10.43
4 Aviation Corporation of China 9.61
5 China Securities Finance Corporation 1.92
6 Aviation Fuel Group of China 1.47
7 Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company 0.97
8 China State-owned Enterprises Structural Adjustment Fund 0.41
9 China Basic pension fund 0.36
10 China Merchants Anhua Bond Fund 0.31

Branding and livery

The enterprise logo of Air China consists of an artistic Fenghuang pattern, the name of the airline written in calligraphy by former national leader Deng Xiaoping, and "AIR CHINA" in English. The phoenix logo is also the artistic transfiguration of the word "VIP". Air China is a member of the Star Alliance.

History of Air China liveries
A Boeing 747-200 in the original CAAC livery after the split of CAAC Airlines
A Boeing 767-200ER in the second generation livery with the introduction of the phoenix-styled livery.
A Boeing 777-300ER in the current livery used on Boeing aircraft, in which the phoenix logo was enlarged and straightened
An Airbus A350-900 in the current livery used on Airbus aircraft. The Chinese name has a smaller size than in the livery used on Boeing aircraft.
An Airbus A330-300 in the current livery used on Taiwan routes. The PRC flag is removed due to Taiwan Issue.

Destinations

Main article: List of Air China destinations
Countries served by Air China (November 2018)
  Mainland China
  Destinations
  Seasonal
  Future
  Terminated
Economy class cabin on an Airbus A350-900
In-flight entertainment systems on an Airbus A350-900

Air China's route network extends throughout Asia to the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America from its hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.[24] It also currently reaches a significant number of Asian, Australian and European destinations from Shanghai. Some international routes operate from Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Hangzhou, Kunming and Shenzhen. It is one of the few world airlines that fly to all six habitable continents.

On 10 December 2006, Air China began serving its first South American destination, São Paulo-Guarulhos (via Madrid-Barajas). This is the airline's longest direct flight.[25] The service was initiated with a Boeing 767-300ER, but due to increased demand, the service has been upgraded to an Airbus A330-200, and later a Boeing 787-9.

Regular flights between mainland China and Taiwan started in July 2009. Due to the political status of Taiwan, all Air China airframes that operate flights to and from Taiwan are required to cover the flag of the People's Republic of China on the fuselage.[citation needed]

Air China introduced its new Airbus A330-300 to long-haul operations beginning with services to Düsseldorf, Germany in summer 2011. These aircraft provided the same two-class cabin standard as the Airbus A330-200 except that the economy cabin had no seat-back entertainment system installed (with the exception of the first two economy rows which also had increased legroom). Düsseldorf is now the third German destination on the Air China network. The airline launched a new Beijing-Milan-Malpensa service on 15 June 2011, complementing the airline's existing service to Milan from Shanghai.

Deliveries of the carrier's 19 new Boeing 777-300ERs commenced in mid-2011, with the aircraft forming the new "backbone of its future longhaul operations." The new Boeing 777-300ERs replaced the Boeing 747-400s on routes to U.S. destinations such as Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, but was expected to first enter service on flights to Paris from March 2012. The Boeing 777-300ER began to replace most 747 service once sufficient numbers entered the fleet.[26] Air China expanded its operations in India with a Beijing-Mumbai route begun in September 2011, while the existing Delhi route was upgraded to the A330.[27] The airline also launched service to Mumbai from Chengdu on 2 May 2012.[28] The airline began using the Boeing 777-300ER on one of its two daily Beijing-Los Angeles flights on 1 February 2012.[29] In the late-2012's to early 2013's, the airline replaced the Boeing 747-400s servicing the New York and San Francisco routes with the Boeing 777-300ER.[30] With the addition of the Boeing 777-300ERs on the US routes, Air China increased frequency on the Beijing-New York route, changing the flights from 7 to 11 flights a week by adding two new flights to the route (CA989/990).[31] On 21 January 2014, the airline launched its service to Hawaii with flights from Beijing to Honolulu, the first nonstop flights between the two cities.[32] The airline also increased the frequency of service on the Beijing-Houston Intercontinental route from four times weekly to daily service from 30 March 2014.[33] Beginning 10 June 2014, Air China introduced new nonstop service from Beijing to Washington-Dulles, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.[34] As of 29 September 2015, Air China also introduced a three times weekly flight to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in a codeshare with Air Canada.[35] The Montreal flight was extended to Havana from 27 December 2015.

Air China started its direct flights to Johannesburg, South Africa from 29 October 2015.[36]

Codeshare agreements

Air China codeshares with the following airlines:[37]

Interline agreements

Air China has Interline agreements with the following airlines:[40]

Fleet

Current fleet

As of January 2025, Air China operates the following aircraft:[41][42]

Air China passenger fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
F B E+ E Total
Airbus A319 27 — — 8 — 120 128
Airbus A320 38 — — 8 — 150 158
Airbus A320neo 53 23[43][44] — 8 — 150 158 [45]
Airbus A321-200 61 — — 16 — 161 177
12 173 185
Airbus A321neo 30 45[44] — 12 — 182 194 [45]
186 198
Airbus A330-200 18 — — 30 — 207 237
18 247 265
12 271 283
Airbus A330-300 28 — — 30 16 255 301
36 20 311
Airbus A350-900 30 — — 32 24 256 312[46] Has two different Business Class seats.[47]
Boeing 737-700 18 — — 8 — 120 128
Boeing 737-800 87 — — 8 — 159 167
168 176
12 147 159
Boeing 737 MAX 8 25 — — 8 — 168 176
Boeing 747-400 2 — 10 42 — 292 344
Boeing 747-8I 7 — 12 54 66 233 365[48] B-2479 used for VIP transport.
Boeing 777-300ER 28 — 8 42 — 261 311
— 36 356 392[49]
Boeing 787-9 14 — — 30 34 229 293[50]
Comac C909 33 2[51] — — — 90 90 Deliveries until 2024.
Comac C919 3 102 — 8 — 150 158 Deliveries from August 2024 until 2031.[52][53]
Air China Business Jets fleet
Boeing BBJ1 1 — VIP Operated by Beijing Airlines.
Boeing BBJ2 3 — VIP
Dassault Falcon 7X 1 — VIP
Total 507 172

Former fleet

Air China retired fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A340-300 6 1997 2014
Boeing 707-320 6 1988 1993
Boeing 737-200 4 1988 1995 Disposed to Air Great Wall.
Boeing 737-300 44 1988 2014
Boeing 737-600 6 2003 2009
Boeing 747-200M 3 1988 2000 Converted into freighters and transferred to Air China Cargo.
Boeing 747-400M 4 1989 2013
3 Converted into freighters and transferred to Air China Cargo.
Boeing 747SP 4 1988 2000
Boeing 757-200 9 2003 2010 Converted into freighters and disposed to SF Airlines.
4 Converted into freighters and transferred to Air China Cargo.
Boeing 767-200ER 5 1988 2009
1 2002 Crashed as flight CA129.
Boeing 767-300 4 1993 2012
Boeing 767-300ER 5 2003 2012
Boeing 777-200 10 1998 2018
BAe 146-100 4 1988 2008
Gulfstream IV 1 Un­known Un­known Used for VIP flights.
Hawker Siddeley Trident 3 1988 1991
Learjet 45 1 2004 2007 Used for VIP flights.
Lockheed L-100 Hercules Un­known Un­known Un­known
Xian Y-7 3 1988 1996

Air China Cargo

Main article: Air China Cargo
Air China Cargo Boeing 747-400BDSF

Air China Cargo, is a subsidiary of Air China, that focuses on freight delivery and does not transport passengers. It operates routes across Asia, Europe and North America with its fleet of Boeing 747-400Fs, Boeing 757-200PCF and Boeing 777F.

Services

Cabin

Forbidden Pavillion
First Class on a Boeing 747-400

Forbidden Pavillion is Air China's first class, and is offered on all Boeing 747-400, Boeing 747-8 and some Boeing 777-300ER.[54][55]

First Class on the 777-300ER and 747-8 is Air China's latest flagship product, featuring Zodiac Aerospace Venus suites featuring a row pitch of 82-83 inches, and a seat width of 23 inches. The seat also features 23 inch AVODs and also has Universal AC and USB-A sockets available.[56][57]

First Class on the 747-400 has 80-inch (203 cm) seat pitch, swiveling seat power, and fully flat bed recline. First Class on the 747-400 is one of two classes that sports AVOD screens. It is named Forbidden Pavilion due to its place in the cabin.

Capital Pavillion

Capital Pavillion is Air China's business class, and is offered on all Air China aircraft, excluding the Comac C909-700.[54]

On Air China's narrow-body fleet, business class seats are recliners arranged in an 2-2 configuration.[54]

Business class on an Air China Boeing 777-300ER. Similar seats are used on Air China's Boeing 787s.

On the Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787, Business Class would be located at the front of the cabin in a 2-2-2 configuration. Business class on these aircraft features Collins Parallel Diamond seats, which can convert into a 6'-4" lie-flat bed. The seats have a width of 21 inches, and also feature a 15-16 inch touchscreen along with Universal AC and USB-A sockets.[57][58]

The Business Class on the Airbus A330 would be located in a small area at the front of the cabin. On newer A330s, Business Class features Zodiac Aura Lite, which consists of rectangle-like seats, with two reading lights located between seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and seat-back screens would be provided. These seats provide full recline and can convert into a 6'-4" lie-flat bed. The seats also have a row pitch of 79 inches, a seat width of 21 inches, and also features a 15 inch touch screen display, as well as Universal AC and USB-A sockets.[59] On older A330s, the screens would be smaller and there would be no storage space between screens, and a recline of 165 degrees.[59]

The Airbus A350 feature Air China's latest product. On older A350s, the seats feature a reverse herringbone Collins Aerospace Super-Diamond seat arrangement at the front of the cabin in 8 1-2-1 configurated rows. The seats would be full flat reclinable, along with a shoulder belt for safety. There are no mid-overhead bins, allowing the cabin to look and feel bigger. There would also be aisle access to all seats, and 18-inch HD IFE screens.[60] On newer Airbus A350s, the cabin features Recaro CL6720 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats can convert to a 6'-4" lie-flat bed, and has a seat width of 21 inches. Each seat features a 18 inch HD touch screen display and Universal AC and USB-A sockets.[61]

Business Class on an Air China Boeing 747-400

On the Boeing 747s, Business Class is located in the nose of the aircraft and the Upper Deck, with a painted collage of the Summer Palace, which symbolizes good luck in China. On the Boeing 747-8, Business class features Collins Parallel Diamond seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, which can convert to a 6'-4" lie-flat bed. The seat has a width of 21 inches and also features a 16 inch touch screen display as well as Universal AC and USB-A sockets.[56] On the Boeing 747-400, the seats have partial recline, with a touch-screen function and remote function IFE screen on the back of seats and also located in the armrests. It was located in a 2-2-2 configuration at the back, with 2-2 rows continuing to the front and on the Upper Deck. These seats feature seat-back AVOD screens.

Premium Economy Class

Premium economy is offered on all of Air China's Airbus A330-300, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 747-8 and Boeing 787-9.[54] The Premium Economy class on the A350-900 is the newest product, with extra recline, a seat pitch of 38.5-39 inches and a seat width of 18.5 inches, in a 2-4-2 configuration. Premium Economy on A330-300s, 747-8s and 787-9s have a seat pitch of 36-38 inches and a width of 17.1-18 inches. In older A330s, these seats also featured AVOD screens and headrests, which the Economy Class did not.[59][54]

Economy Class
Economy class cabin on an Airbus A350-900.

Economy class is offered on all Air China aircraft. IFE with AVOD functionality is available on Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787-9, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 747 and newer Airbus A330 aircraft with different screen sizes and different systems from Panasonic and Thales. Universal power port and USB availability is different upon aircraft. Seats typically have a seat pitch of 31 inches, and a width of 17-18 inches, depending on aircraft. On Airbus A330s, economy class is in a 2-4-2 configuration, whilst on Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, a 3-3-3 configuration is present. Boeing 747s and 777s have a 3-4-3 configuration. All narrowbody jets are configured in a 3-3 configuration except for the Comac ARJ21s, which have a 3-2 configuration.[54][59]

PhoenixMiles

PhoenixMiles (Chinese: 凤凰知音; pinyin: feng huang zhī yīn, literally "Phoenix Partner"), is the frequent flyer program of Air China and its subsidiary Air China Inner Mongolia, Air Macau, Beijing Airlines, Dalian Airlines, Kunming Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines. This is the first frequent flyer program launched in mainland China. It was designed to reward frequent flyers traveling internationally and domestically with Air China and its partner airlines.[62]

Accidents and incidents

Controversies and passenger incidents

2003 SARS spreading incident

On 15 March 2003, Air China Flight 112, operated by a Boeing 737-36N carried a 72 year old man infected with SARS. The infection later transmitted to 20 other passengers during the flight, causing five of them to later die from SARS. It was the largest in-flight super-spread transmission of SARS during the 2003 SARS epidemic.[citation needed]

Wings of China incident

Air China's inflight magazine Wings of China faced accusations of racism when they stated "London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis, and black people." in their September 2016 issue.[67][68] On 8 September 2016, Air China issued an apology.[69] Air China Media, which publishes the Wings of China magazine, said it wished to apologise to "readers and passengers who are feeling uncomfortable".[70] It added: "This invariably inappropriate description... was purely a work mistake by the editors and it's not the magazine's views...We will immediately recall this entire issue of magazines and draw lessons from this incident."[71][72]

Use of Russian airspace

Despite the international sanctions imposed on Russia due to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Air China continues to operate flights to and from Russia.[73] This strategy has bolstered its dominance in the China-Europe market but has drawn criticism for indirectly supporting Russia's economy during its military aggression in Ukraine. Some believe Air China's ongoing operations to Russia disregard the ethical implications of the conflict, prioritizing profits over solidarity with international sanctions aimed at curbing Russia's actions.[73][74][75]

See also

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