China Airlines
China Airlines at a glance
China Airlines is Taiwan's flag carrier, and the name is the story: founded in 1959, decades before the mainland's carriers took their modern form, it flies the Republic of China's flag from Taiwan Taoyuan while sharing SkyTeam membership with the mainland airlines its government does not recognize. From that singular position it runs one of Asia's most complete networks, and one of the world's largest cargo operations, a business that rivals its passenger flying.
The fleet is in the middle of a generational rebuild: a landmark split order announced in December 2024 brought Boeing 777-9s and 787-9s alongside Airbus A350-1000s, hedging the airline's future across both manufacturers, while A321neos replace the domestic and regional narrowbodies. Its 777 and A350 fleets carry the long-haul network to North America and Europe that Taiwan's semiconductor-driven economy depends on.
Fleet
China Airlines splits its widebody future deliberately across both manufacturers: 787-9s and 777-9s from Boeing, A350-1000s from Airbus, all ordered in a single December 2024 decision, layered onto today's 777-300ER and A350-900 fleet, while one of the world's largest 747 and 777 freighter operations carries the cargo business.
| Aircraft | Role | Fleet Size |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 777-300ER | Long-haul workhorse | 10 |
| Airbus A350-900 | Europe and Oceania flagship | ~15 |
| Airbus A321neo | Regional narrowbody renewal | ~15 |
| Boeing 787-9 | Next-generation long-haul, deliveries beginning | 24 ordered |
Hub & route network
Taiwan Taoyuan is the hub, where China Airlines connects Southeast Asia and Oceania to North America over Taipei, with trunk routes to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Europe alongside dense regional flying to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. The cargo network, one of the world's largest, shadows the passenger map with dedicated freighters.Alliance & partnerships
China Airlines joined SkyTeam in 2011, connecting its network to Delta, Air France-KLM and Korean Air, and holds a codeshare with Southwest Airlines feeding its US gateways, one of only a handful of international carriers with that link.Group structure
China Airlines Group spans the mainline, low-cost subsidiary Tigerair Taiwan and regional carrier Mandarin Airlines, with Taiwan's China Aviation Development Foundation as the anchor shareholder.Full specifications
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Frequently asked questions
Taiwan. Founded in 1959, it is the flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan), based at Taiwan Taoyuan, and is a separate airline from mainland carriers like Air China.
SkyTeam, which it joined in 2011, alongside Delta, Air France-KLM and Korean Air.
A December 2024 split order covering Boeing 777-9s and 787-9s plus Airbus A350-1000s, one of the few recent widebody campaigns awarded to both manufacturers at once.