Air China Boeing 747-400 at PEK - 2009

Air China, headquartered in Beijing, is the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China. CA is however, ranked behind China Southern and China Eastern in terms of passengers carried. The airline was established in 1988 as an outgrowth of CAAC. It was originally given responsibility for international flights but its competitors have taken on this role in equal measure. Air China did increases its presence with the acquisition of China Southwest Airlines. CA is a member of Star Alliance. Despite headquarters and a hub at Beijing Capital Airport, it has major hubs at Shanghai Pudong and Chengdu Airports though international flights are hubbed at Beijing. Air China's route network extends throughout Asia to the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America from its main hub at Beijing Capital International Airport. It also currently reaches a significant number of Asian, Australian and European destinations from Shanghai. Some international routes operate from Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dubai, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanning and Xiamen.

Air China's fleet numbers around 270 plus with another 250 on order. The fleet is extremely diverse with Airbus A319s, 320s, 321s, 330s, 340s, 350s (on order); Boeing 737-300s, 737-700s, 800s, 747-400s (being replaced by 747-8 Intercontinental's), 757-200s (being phased out), 777-200s and 300s, and 15 787-9 Dreamliners on order. CA has also ordered 20 COMAC C919s. The airline is well regarded for its level of service and has only has 1 accident.

Special Thanks to: Vinay Bhaskara