Unless you are deeply involved with or interested in the aviation industry, or have traveled to and from the island of Taiwan before, you may not have even heard of China Airlines. Outside of Asia, it’s possible to see the carrier’s aircraft at specific key hubs with its aesthetic pink plum blossom livery representing Taiwan’s national flower. Whether because of political tension in recent years or due to the microchip industry, more people have come to know about Taiwan in the last few years (and fewer are still confusing it with “Thailand”…). But how much do you know about the flag carrier of this Pacific island?
1 It’s not a Chinese airline
This should be apparent from the opening paragraph, but it’s worth reiterating. Although the company is called “China Airlines,” it has never been headquartered in mainland China. Yet, still today, there are people who see “China Airlines” painted on a big Airbus widebody and assume it’s going anywhere except Taiwan.
CI dates back to 1959, more than ten years before the Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan) lost its UN seat to the People’s Republic of China (PRC); understanding this makes the airline’s name less surprising. As CNN reported, there were multiple instances where China Airlines (among a list of Taiwanese companies caught in this geopolitical naming issue) have been asked to rebrand. However, at least for the flag carrier, this has yet to happen.
2 From humble beginnings
China Airlines was founded in December 1959, approximately ten years after the ROC government relocated to the island of Taiwan. According to its website, at the time, it had just 26 employees and three aircraft in its fleet: one Douglas C-54 Skymaster and two PBY amphibious planes.
Today, the carrier boasts just over 11,000 employees, of which 9,540 work at one of the various airports dotting the island and over 1,500 working abroad. CI also now has a very modern fleet, currently featuring many more Airbus airliners than those from Boeing; however, there are plenty of the latter on the way.
3 Largest fleet in the nation
Taiwan isn’t home to very many airlines, though many readers recognize there are the two premier carriers, China Airlines and EVA Air, which have recently been joined by the quickly-growing Starlux Airlines. However, according to information provided by ch-aviation, the state-owned flag carrier has the most aircraft of all passenger operators, with as many as 90 in its fleet, counting those that are stored or in maintenance.
