June 29, 2004, Taipei, Taiwan- China Airlines took delivery of its first A330-300 passenger jet in a delivery ceremony held June 29, in France. The state-of-the-art aircraft will arrive in Taiwan on June 30, and will be ready for its inaugural flight from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong on July 7. The A330 is equipped with superb new cabin layout and amenities, including a high-tech AVOD(audio video on demand) in-flight entertainment system.

To welcome the new aircraft, China Airlines Chairman Yun-ling Lee and President Philip Wei attended the delivery ceremony. ¡§The comfortable cabin facilities and advanced control and navigation systems will provide our passengers with a high degree of value-added service,¡¨ said Chairman Lee.

The new aircraft will also boost the economic performance of China Airlines. ¡§After the introduction of the A330-300, China Airlines¡¦ passenger and cargo capacity will be further increased,¡¨ noted President Wei. ¡§The lower unit costs will enhance the economic efficiency of China Airlines on our regional routes.¡¨

The new A330 is powered by two GE CF6-8E1A4 engines. The cruising range is adequate for all of China Airlines¡¦ Asian regional routes, including Delhi, India. The aircraft is configured in two classes, with 36 seats in Dynasty Supreme Class and 277 seats in Economy Class. The A330, with 313 seats, has 18% more capacity than CAL¡¦s current A300-600R, which has 265 seats. The A330-300 also has 100% more cargo capacity than the A300-600R.

China Airlines¡¦ newly designed Dynasty Supreme Class features high-tech shell-shaped seats with extended pitch, offering more comfort and privacy. Economy Class also features newly introduced adjustable lumbar support features. Regardless of class, every seat is equipped with modern AVOD in-flight entertainment system. The wide choice of entertainment includes 24 movies and short features, more than 40 music CDs, and 15 video games. Passengers can enjoy the nonstop interactive entertainment system in English, Chinese or Japanese.

The A330-300 has the same cockpit design as China Airlines¡¦ existing A340-300 fleet. As a result, it takes only a fice-day training for an A340-300 pilot to become a qualified A330-300 pilot. The two aircraft also share a high degree of commonality in maintenance and spare parts. These features will lead to reduced pilot training costs, and enhanced maintenance quality.

In late 2002, China Airlines confirmed a firm order of 14 A330-300s. In addition to the first aircraft in June, China Airlines will introduce a second A330-300 in July, and a third in December. Another 11 aircraft will be introduced between 2005 and 2007. The A330s will eventually replace China Airlines¡¦ A300-600Rs on all its 20 Asian regional routes.

Following delivery of the first A330-300, China Airlines will operate a fleet of 63 aircraft with an average age of less than 6 years, and serve 47 passenger and cargo destinations in 21 countries. According to IATA statistics, China Airlines is ranked 26th in the world in terms of passenger traffic carried, and 7th in terms of international cargo traffic.