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Taiwan’s China Airlines mulls single aisle order
October 27th 2017
Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) is expecting to place an order for 20-25 single aisle aircraft before the end of the year to replace its 20 B737-800s on regional routes. Read More »
Speaking at the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) annual conference in Taipei this week, CAL president, Hsieh Su-Chien, told delegates Airbus’ A320neo and A321neo and Boeing’s B737 MAX series were being evaluated.
“[CAL will order] more than 20 unless we see the market is going to die,” Hsieh said. “I think we will expand.”
CAL chairman, Nuan-hsuan Ho, told Orient Aviation earlier this year the airline is shifting its focus from cross-strait to Southeast Asian connector traffic after relations between Beijing and Taipei once again deteriorated with the change of government in Taiwan.
“For Southeast Asia, transfer traffic to Europe and the U.S. is strong and there is a very solid tourist customer base going that way. And don’t forget about the many ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia who go home a few times a year,” Ho has told Orient Aviation at his CAL Park headquarters in Taoyaun. “This is very substantial traffic with a lot of growth.”
Meanwhile, CAL is looking to expand its long-haul network with the addition of new destinations and frequency increases on existing routes. From “summer 2018” it will launch a four-weekly Taipei-Ontario, California, B777-300ER route.
In other CAL updates, the carrier this week signed an agreement with Sabre for the Sabre AirCentre Movement Manager solution, which allows operations controllers to monitor flights and improve network efficiency.
“We are excited to expand Sabre’s well-established relationship with China Airlines as their chosen technology partner for this solution. As the flag carrier of Taiwan, China Airlines plays a crucial role in supporting the fast-growing global travel industry in the region as inbound and outbound travel to Taiwan continues to grow,” said vice president & regional general manager, Sabre Airlines Solutions, Asia Pacific, Dasha Kuksenko.
