Taiwan’s flag carrier China Airlines has started the joining process for full entry into the SkyTeam airline alliance.
SkyTeam expects China Airlines’ joining process to be completed by mid-2011. The announcement of the Taiwanese carrier’s entry into the alliance comes just a few months after Chinese carrier China Eastern signed an agreement to join
SkyTeam.
The alliance says the addition of China Airlines to the alliance complements the well-anchored position of China Southern in Guangzhou, solidifying SkyTeam’s leading presence in the Greater China area. With China Airlines as a partner in the alliance, SkyTeam customers will have improved access to SkyTeam’s already-extensive Asia Pacific network.
Headquartered in Taipei, China Airlines is the largest airline of Taiwan, one of the world’s most technology-driven economies.
Boeing delivered this specially painted new Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft to Taiwan's China Airlines on December 7, 2004. The paint design is a special blending of China Airlines' plum blossom on the tail with the Boeing "blue" livery introduced during mid-2004. The airplane was also the first 747-400 to feature the Boeing Signature Interior
During an official ceremony in Taipei, China Airlines’ President Huang-Hsiang Sun joined the CEOs and representatives of SkyTeam member airlines in signing an adherence agreement, thus formally starting the process of China Airlines joining SkyTeam.
The signing ceremony took place at National Concert Hall in Taipei, witnessed by Chairman of the SkyTeam Governing Board Leo van Wijk, Managing Director of SkyTeam Marie-Joseph Male and Chairman Liu Shaoyong of future member China Eastern.
“The inclusion of China Airlines in our network will solidify SkyTeam’s unrivalled presence in the Greater China market, a region that continues to experience significant economic growth,” says van Wijk.
“In addition to the services provided by our existing members, China Airlines offers an extensive cross-strait operation, linking Taiwan to multiple major destinations in China. Also, Taipei will serve as an alternative Asian hub with services to and from key business destinations in the region.”
“Joining SkyTeam is a long-term development strategy for China Airlines, and for many years we have been actively promoting various types of cooperation with SkyTeam member airlines with this objective in mind.
As the first Taiwanese airline to join the world-class alliance, our strategic target is to continuously strengthen profitability and boost international market competitiveness,” says Philip Wei, China Airlines’ chairman .
“We are honored and delighted to welcome China Airlines in our midst. We now enter a phase where China Airlines will work closely together with the current members to establish bilateral agreements and fulfill the more than 100 membership requirements,” says Male.
“We rely in particular on our Asian members to use their advanced experience in the alliance to guide China Airlines in the joining process and expect our newest member to effectively join SkyTeam around mid-2011.”
The China Airlines network will complement those of Guangzhou-based China Southern and Shanghai-based China Eastern. Cooperation among these three SkyTeam family members will further consolidate SkyTeam’s strong position in Greater China.
As the largest passenger and cargo airline providing services between both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the addition of China Airlines to SkyTeam will aid Taiwan’s efforts to become one of Asia’s leading air transport and business hubs.
Out of its 93 international routes, China Airlines will bring four new destinations to the SkyTeam network: Okinawa, Miyazaki, Surabaya and Palau.
From a global standpoint, says SkyTeam, adding a fifth Asian carrier will help the alliance in connecting Greater China, Asia’s up-and-coming economic powerhouse, to the rest of the world.
China Airlines’ route network covers Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and will help customers connect to flights of SkyTeam partners worldwide.
Founded in 1959, China Airlines has consistently been Taiwan’s largest airline.
China Airlines presently serves 93 destinations in 28 countries and regions worldwide. As of the end of August 2010, China Airlines operates 66 aircraft, including 46 passenger jets and 20 freighters. The average age of China Airlines’ fleet is just 7.9 years.
SkyTeam member airlines offer customers more than 420 premium lounges worldwide.
The thirteen members are Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, TAROM Romanian Air Transport and Vietnam Airlines.
SkyTeam, 10 years old in 2010, offers its 385 million annual passengers a worldwide system of over 12,500 daily flights to 898 destinations in 169 countries.
source: http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/taiwans-china-airlines-to-join-the-skyteam-alliance/
