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December 16, 2004, Taipei, Taiwan – Today,
China Airlines celebrates its 45th anniversary, and it
has incorporated a “New Horizon” theme in honor of the
occasion. The airline has much to celebrate: after a fruitful year
of operations, CAL is expected to achieve NT$ 93.5 billion in
annual revenue and NT$ 4.05 billion in pre-tax profit. In 2004,
China Airlines successfully inaugurated 5 passenger and cargo
destinations, introduced 7 new aircraft, and successfully hosted
the Assembly of Presidents for the Association of Asia Pacific
Airlines.
The 45th anniversary celebration ceremony was held
in the three-bay hangar at CKS International Airport. Dr. Yao-Chung
Chiang, Chairman of China Airlines said at the ceremony that China
Airlines is confident to fulfill its commitment in providing safe,
convenient, comfortable and reliable service to its customers. He
also mentioned that the 45 anniversary symbolized a start for
China Airlines to climb a new height.
China Airlines continued its fleet rejuvenation program in
2004. A total of three A330-300 and two B747-400 passenger jets as
well as two B747-400 freighters were introduced. The A330-300
fleet will fully replace the A300-600R fleet by 2007. By the end
of 2004, China Airlines will operate a fleet of 63 modern aircraft
with an average age of 5.8 years, one of the youngest fleets in
the world.
Although the operating environment in 2005 will be filled with
challenges, President Philip Wei maintains his confident outlook.
“China Airlines will continue to introduce new aircraft to
increase capacity and will inaugurate new route and increase
flight frequencies in 2005,” said President Wei. “We will
aggressively plan our 2005 goal to challenge the annual revenue of
NT$ 100 billion target. New products and services will also be
provided to generate more income.”
China Airlines achieved many milestones in 2004. These include
introducing the first B747-400 with special livery and Boeing’s
Signature Interior, inaugurating new passenger services to
Hiroshima, Seattle and Houston and cargo services to Milan and
Prague, and expanding cooperation with Delta Air Lines by adding a
two-way code share on Pacific routes. In addition, CAL introduced
its AVOD (Audio-visual on Demand) entertainment system and
launched Dynasty Supreme Class in 2004. In 2005, CAL will extend
its service to Terminal 2 of CKS International Airport and
introduce advanced Connexion by Boeing system for inflight
Internet connection.
CAL also undertook many charity acts to fulfill its corporate
citizenship responsibilities. These include sponsoring cultural
exhibitions, shipping relief materials to Iran after the
earthquake, transporting the Paralympic team and successfully
hosting the AAPA president’s assembly.
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