Formation and early years (1959–1970) at
Singapore International Airport in 1974 Taiwan's airlines can trace its origins to
Japan Air Transport and later,
Imperial Japanese Airways, which served Taiwan during
colonial rule by Japan. These airlines served the cities of
Taihoku,
Taichu,
Tainan, and
Takao. With a fleet of two
PBY Amphibians, China Airlines was established on December 16, 1959, a retired
ROC Air Force officer, and initially concentrated on
charter flights. The roots of this airline can be traced to 1929 when the
Nationalist government formed
China National Aviation Corporation that served as a major airline of the country until the
Chinese Communist Party took over
Mainland China and nationalized its operations in 1949 which then absorbed the CNAC into the
People's Aviation Company of China in 1952. During the 1960s, China Airlines was able to establish its first scheduled routes. In October 1962, a flight from
Taipei to
Hualien became the airline's first domestic service. With the airline's first two
Boeing 707 aircraft,
trans-Pacific flights to
San Francisco via
Tokyo were initiated on February 2, 1970.
International expansion (1970–1995) Following the standard utilization of the wide-body
747 on the highly profitable Trans-Pacific – United States routes, China Airlines introduced its first two 747-100s (ex-
Delta Air Lines aircraft) in 1976 and immediately placed them on its Hong Kong-Taipei-Tokyo-
Honolulu-
Los Angeles route. Shortly thereafter, four brand new Boeing
747SPs (Special Performance) were introduced in 1977. In 1975, three years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and China, all flights between Taiwan and Japan were suspended, and not resumed until the following year. The 747SP aircraft made it possible for China Airlines to fly daily nonstop services from Taipei to its North American destinations without stopping over in Japan. It also allowed the airline to introduce flights to
Saudi Arabia and
South Africa. In 1979, the airline switched all operations from the smaller
Taipei Songshan Airport to the newly built Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport (now
Taoyuan International Airport). Following the introduction of 747-200s, the airline introduced its first European destination,
Amsterdam. In 1978, with all airlines relocating to
Narita International Airport (then New Tokyo International Airport), China Airlines was the sole foreign carrier to use
Haneda, which at the time was an exclusive domestic facility; the premise being that air carriers from the
PRC and Taiwan were prevented from crossing paths at any Japanese airports.
EVA Air joined China Airlines later on, although both eventually moved to Narita, with CAL moving on April 18, 2002. The next 20 years saw sporadic but far-reaching growth for the company. Later, the airline inaugurated its own round-the-world flight: (Taipei-
Anchorage-
New York-Amsterdam-
Dubai-Taipei). On February 8, 1990, China Airlines received the first of its initial five
Boeing 747-400s (B-161). 1993 saw the airline listed on the
Taiwan Stock Exchange. The new 747-400s and an earlier order with
Airbus for over a dozen
A300B4 and
A300-600Rs wide body regional jets allowed for addition destination growth. During the 1990s, China Airlines also bought the
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and had to compete with a new competitor,
EVA Air. They also founded
another airline to deal with the PRC-ROC dispute which borrowed aircraft from China Airlines itself. at
Los Angeles International Airport (B-162). Second 747-400 bought by China Airlines on the
Taipei to Los Angeles route in the old pre-1995 livery.
Change of logo and livery (1995–2010) wearing the new China Airlines pink flower livery at
Taipei Chiang Kai-Shek (now Taoyuan) International Airport in 2001 As the
Republic of China (Taiwan)'s flag carrier, China Airlines has been affected by disputes over the
political status of Republic of China (Taiwan), is under pressure from the
Chinese Communist Party, and was barred from flying into a number of countries maintaining diplomatic relations with the
People's Republic of China ("Mainland China"). As a result, in the mid 1990s, China Airlines subsidiary
Mandarin Airlines took over some of its
Sydney and
Vancouver international routes. Starting from October 7, 1995, partly as a way to avoid the international controversy, China Airlines unveiled its "plum blossom" logo, replacing the
national flag which had previously appeared on the tail fins (
empennage), and the
aircraft livery from the red-white-blue national colours on the fuselage of its aircraft. The plum blossom (
Prunus mume) is the Republic of China's
National Flower. Throughout the 1990s, the airline employed many ex-ROC Air Force pilots. Due to the company's poor safety record in the 1990s, China Airlines began to change its pilot recruitment practices and the company began to actively recruit civilian-trained pilots with proven track records. In addition, the company began recruiting university graduates as trainees in its own pilot training program. The company also modified its maintenance and operational procedures. These decisions were instrumental in the company's improved safety record, culminating in the company's recognition by the
IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). During the 1990s and early 2000s, China Airlines placed orders for various airliners including the
Airbus A330,
Airbus A340,
Boeing 737-800, as well as for additional 747-400s (both the passenger and freighter version). China Airlines signed an agreement to begin the process of joining
airline alliance SkyTeam on September 14, 2010 and officially became a full member on September 28, 2011. This was marked by an update to the logo of the airline and the typeface in which "China Airlines" is printed. The carrier was the first Taiwanese airline to join an airline alliance.
2012–present at
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 2011 Since 2012, China Airlines has participated in the Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement (PGGM) Project, led by the
Environmental Protection Administration,
Ministry of Science and Technology, and
National Central University. As part of the collaboration, China Airlines installed "In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS)" on three aircraft: B-18806 (
Airbus A340-300) in June 2012, B-18317 (
Airbus A330-300) in July 2016, and B-18316 (Airbus A330-300) in July 2017. B-18806 also wore "The Official Airline for Climate Monitoring" special livery. Between July 2012 and September 2017, the PGGM fleet collected greenhouse gases-data from a total of 4682 flights. In May 2017, B-18806 was retired. B-18316 and B-18317 are expected to continue collecting data until 2027. In December 2013, China Airlines announced its new joint venture with Singaporean low-cost carrier
Tigerair Holdings (now defunct and replaced by
Budget Aviation Holdings) to establish
Tigerair Taiwan. The new airline flew its inaugural flight to
Singapore on September 26, 2014, and became the first, and currently only, Taiwanese
low-cost carrier. Tigerair Holdings previously held 10 percent of the shares. As disputes unfolded surrounding the partnership, China Airlines Group re-negotiated with Tigerair Holdings and has now taken full ownership of Tigerair Taiwan. co-branded with
Boeing Dreamliner colors In March 2014, China Airlines announced the "NexGen (Next Generation)" plan to complement its then-upcoming
Boeing 777-300ER and
Airbus A350-900 XWB. Designed to refresh the brand image of the carrier, the plan included product innovations, new uniforms, and fleet replacements. Through cooperating with designers from the
Greater China region, the carrier hoped to introduce unique product offerings that could showcase the beauty of the Orient and the cultural creativity of Taiwan. The first phase of the plan has been completed. In addition to new cabin designs, also introduced were the renovated Dynasty Lounges at
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and the debut of new
William Chang-designed uniforms. The new fleet types allowed the retirement of older aircraft; the A340-300 fleet was fully retired in June 2017, while the 747-400 has been fully replaced on long-haul routes. With the First Class-equipped 747s flying regionally and new long-haul aircraft not featuring First Class, China Airlines terminated First Class services in 2016. First Class seats are now sold as Business Class. Future phases of the NexGen plan include ordering new aircraft to replace older fleet types. In May 2019, the airline announced that it will be introducing the
Airbus A321neo, including 14 leased, 11 purchased, and five options, along with three orders and three options for the
Boeing 777F. The A321neo will replace the Boeing 737-800 while the 777F will replace the Boeing 747-400F. Cabin design on the A321neo will continue the NexGen design ethos to provide passenger experience cohesive with that of the 777 and A350. Focus has also been put on tapping the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market. In January 2015, China Airlines established Taiwan Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Co. (TAMECO), an airline MRO company focusing on Boeing 737 and 777, and Airbus A320, A330, A340, and A350 XWB families' fuselage maintenance. For the project,
Airbus is providing a wide range of support, one of which is inviting China Airlines to join the Airbus MRO Alliance (AMA), alongside
AAR Corp,
Aeroman,
Sabena technics,
Etihad Airways Engineering, and
GAMECO. Moreover, a joint-venture agreement has been signed with
Tulsa-based Nordam, specializing in nacelle, thrust reversers, and composite materials, to establish the only Nordam repair center in Asia. The first TAMECO hangar, to be completed in March 2019, will be able to accommodate 2 777/A350 and 3 737/A320 sized aircraft at the same time. Labor-management unrest has been a major issue at China Airlines over recent years. On June 25, 2016, the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, representing some 2,500 cabin crew, staged the first strike in Taiwanese aviation history. A total of 122 passenger flights were cancelled during the day-long strike. During the 2019
Lunar New Year season, over 600 pilots participated in a seven-day strike by the Taoyuan Union of Pilots. Over 200 flights were cancelled between February 8 and 14. In July 2020, the DPP-led
Legislative Yuan passed a resolution for the
Ministry of Transportation and Communications to rename the airline and redesign its liveries due to frequent confusion with
Air China. The name change plans were on hold since 2022. ==Headquarters==