Air China

Air China is the main airline of the People's Republic of China. It began in 1988 when another airline was divided into six parts. Today, it flies within China and to many places around the world.

The airline is mostly owned by the government. It is one of the three largest airlines in China, along with China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Its main airports are in Beijing and Chengdu. In 2017, Air China carried over 102 million passengers. It also joined a group of airlines called the Star Alliance in 2007.

History

Air China began flying on July 1, 1988. It started when the Chinese government split one big aviation group into six smaller airlines. Air China was chosen to handle flights far from China and took over many big planes and long routes.

In 2001, Air China joined with other airlines, growing bigger. By 2004, it was listed on important stock markets. In 2007, it joined a group of international airlines called the Star Alliance. Over the years, Air China grew by taking larger shares in other airlines and improving its services, like offering free internet on some flights. It also made changes to be more caring about animals.

Corporate affairs

See also: China National Aviation Holding § Business trends

Air China Limited started in 2003 and began trading its shares in Hong Kong and London on December 15, 2004. Before this, the airline was known as Air China International, which started in 2002. It later combined with China Southwest Airlines and services from the China National Aviation Corporation to form a new company.

The main office of Air China is in the Air China HQ Building, located in Zone A of the Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone in Shunyi District, Beijing. The official office is on the ninth floor of the Blue Sky Mansion, also in Zone A of the Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone.

Ownership structure

Branding and livery

Air China’s logo shows an artistic Fenghuang design made by artist Han Meilin. The phoenix logo also represents the word “VIP.” The Chinese name of the airline is written in calligraphy by former leader Deng Xiaoping. The English name “AIR CHINA” is also used. Air China is part of the Star Alliance.

Destinations

Main article: List of Air China destinations

Air China flies to many places around the world. From its main airports in Beijing and Chengdu, the airline travels to Asia, the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America. It also flies to many cities in Asia, Australia, and Europe from Shanghai. Some international flights leave from Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Hangzhou, Kunming, and Shenzhen.

Air China is one of the few airlines that flies to all six places where people live.

In 2006, Air China began flying to its first South American city, São Paulo-Guarulhos, stopping at Madrid-Barajas. This was the airline’s longest direct trip. The flight used a Boeing 767-300ER at first, but later changed to newer planes like the Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 787-9.

Joint Venture agreements

Air China works together with these airlines:

• Austrian Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Shenzhen Airlines (subsidiary)
• Swiss International Air Lines

Codeshare agreements

Air China shares flights with these airlines:

• Aegean Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air Dolomiti
• Air Macau
• Air New Zealand
• Air Serbia
• All Nippon Airways
• Asiana Airlines
• Avianca
• Cathay Pacific
• China Express Airlines
• Egyptair
• El Al
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Air
• Finnair
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Juneyao Air
• Kunming Airlines
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Shandong Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• TAP Air Portugal
• Tibet Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• Uni Air
• United Airlines

Interline agreements

Air China also has special travel plans with these airlines:

• Air Astana
• Airlink
• Emirates
• flydubai
• Kuwait Airways
• Pakistan International Airlines

Fleet

Air China uses many different types of airplanes for its flights. Some of the planes they use now include the Airbus A320-200, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787-9, Comac C909, and Comac C919-100ER.

In the past, Air China also used planes like the Airbus A340-300, Boeing 757-200, Boeing 767-300ER, BAe 146-100, Lockheed L-100 Hercules, and Xian Y-7.

Services

Air China offers different types of seats to make your flight more comfortable.

The Forbidden Pavilion is the first class and is available on some big planes like the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 747-8, and Boeing 777-300ER. These seats have lots of space and special features.

Capital Pavilion is the business class and is on all Air China planes, except the Comac C909-700. These seats also have extra space and special features, depending on the plane.

Premium Economy is offered on some planes like the Airbus A330-300, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 747-8, and Boeing 787-9. These seats have a little more space than regular seats.

Economy class is available on all Air China planes. These seats are smaller, but they still come with special screens and power ports on some planes.

PhoenixMiles is Air China’s frequent flyer program. It rewards people who fly often with Air China and its partner airlines.

Cargo

Air China Cargo is part of Air China. It only carries goods, not people. It flies to places in Asia, Europe, and North America. It uses special airplanes made just for carrying cargo. These airplanes include the Airbus A330-200/P2F, Boeing 747-400F, and Boeing 777F.

Controversies and passenger incidents

Air China's inflight magazine, Wings of China, made a mistake in September 2016. It said that some areas in London needed extra safety precautions. This upset many readers and passengers. Air China apologized and said it was just an editor's error. They also said they would stop using that issue of the magazine.

Because of the war in Ukraine, many European airlines stopped flying over Russian airspace. This made their trips longer and more expensive. Air China kept flying over Russian airspace. This helped them stay strong in the China–Europe market, but some people said this wasn't fair competition.