Air China
Air China at a glance
Air China is the flag carrier of the People's Republic, the only Chinese airline that carries the national flag on its fuselage and flies the country's leaders abroad, operating from Beijing Capital as the Star Alliance anchor in China. One of the big three state carriers formed in 1988, it runs a group fleet approaching 900 aircraft including subsidiaries Shenzhen Airlines and Shandong Airlines, with the most internationally weighted network of China's majors.
Its most distinctive relationship crosses the Taiwan Strait's political geography in corporate form: Air China owns roughly 30% of Cathay Pacific while Cathay holds a stake in Air China, an equity embrace between Beijing's flag carrier and Hong Kong's that has outlasted every political cycle. The fleet runs from A320-family workhorses to A350s, 777s and a rarity, one of the world's last passenger Boeing 747-8 fleets, still flying trunk and state missions.
Fleet
Air China's fleet spans China's whole aviation story: hundreds of A320-family jets on the domestic network, A350-900s and 777-300ERs on international trunk routes, 737s across the group, and seven passenger 747-8s, a fleet almost extinct elsewhere, still flying flagship and government missions.
| Aircraft | Role | Fleet Size |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320neo | Domestic backbone (A320 family) | ~300 |
| Airbus A350-900 | Long-haul flagship | ~30 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | Trunk international routes | ~28 |
| Boeing 747-8 | Among the last passenger 747 operators | 7 |
Hub & route network
Beijing Capital is the fortress, Terminal 3 its home, with secondary hubs in Chengdu and Shanghai and the most international network of China's big three: dense Europe and North America trunk routes befitting the flag carrier, layered over a vast domestic system fed by Shenzhen Airlines and Shandong Airlines.Alliance & partnerships
Air China joined Star Alliance in 2007 as its Chinese anchor, partnering with Lufthansa and United across its long-haul map, while the cross-shareholding with Cathay Pacific, roughly 30% of the Hong Kong carrier, is its deepest bilateral tie.Group structure
Air China Limited, listed in Beijing, Hong Kong and London under state-owned China National Aviation Holding, controls Shenzhen Airlines and Shandong Airlines among others, lifting the group fleet toward 900 aircraft.Full specifications
Latest Air China coverage from AeroTime
Frequently asked questions
No. Air China is the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China, based at Beijing Capital; China Airlines is Taiwan's flag carrier, based at Taoyuan. They are unrelated companies.
A long-standing cross-shareholding: Air China owns roughly 30% of Cathay Pacific, and Cathay holds a stake in Air China, linking Beijing's and Hong Kong's flag carriers.
Yes, seven passenger 747-8s remain in service on select trunk routes and state missions, making Air China one of the type's last passenger operators anywhere.