 | |||||||
 Mandarin AirlinesATR 72-600 landing | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1 June 1991; 33 years ago (1991-06-01) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 16 October 1991; 33 years ago (1991-10-16) | ||||||
| Hubs | Taipei–Songshan | ||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Dynasty Flyer | ||||||
| Alliance | SkyTeam (affiliate) | ||||||
| Fleet size | 10 | ||||||
| Destinations | 34 | ||||||
| Parent company | China Airlines Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Songshan,Taipei,Taiwan | ||||||
| Key people | Kao Shing Hwang (Chairman) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Mandarin Airlines (traditional Chinese:華信航空;simplified Chinese:华信航空;pinyin:Huáxìn Hángkōng) is a Taiwaneseregional airline based inTaipei,Taiwan, whose parent company isChina Airlines. The airline operates domestic and regional international flights, while its parent company focuses on international operations. Some charter services are also operated by the company. Its main bases areSongshan Airport,Taichung International Airport andKaohsiung International Airport.
Mandarin Airlines was established on 1 June 1991, and was initially a joint venture byChina Airlines (67%) andKoos Group (33%); the Chinese name of the company is formed by the combination of the two.[1] The establishment of Mandarin Airlines is closely related to thepolitical status of Taiwan. At the time, Mandarin Airlines' parent company, China Airlines, still served as theflag carrier of theRepublic of China, with theflag of the Republic of China a part of its livery. Denying the existence of the Taipei government, thePeople's Republic of China hence attempted to boycott the international presence of China Airlines, usingtrade barriers to achieve its political goal. However, PRC's objection did not extend to other Taiwanese carriers not carrying the ROC flag. As a way to work around these limits, Mandarin Airlines was founded while China Airlines maintained its role as the flag carrier.
On 16 October 1991, Mandarin Airlines started operations with direct flights from Taipei toSydney inAustralia. The next step was the opening of a direct air route toVancouver inCanada on 7 December 1991. Thus, Mandarin Airlines becameTaiwan's first airline to fly direct to Australia and Canada.[citation needed] The China Trust Group pulled its investment in Mandarin Airlines on 31 October 1992, turning the airline into a company virtually wholly owned by China Airlines (90.05%) by December 1992. Also, Mandarin Airlines' role was changed to that of a primary domestic and short-range intra-regional airline,[1] after parent China Airlines was able to re-establish its emphasis on international routes, due to a new livery that did not include the national flag, and thus faced less objection from the PRC.[citation needed]
On 8 August 1999, China Airlines formally merged its subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, withFormosa Airlines under the Mandarin name. Mandarin took over Formosa's domestic operations and aircraft while Mandarin's fleet and most of its international flights were transferred to China Airlines.[1] In early 2000, the airline bought 5Dornier 228 fromUni Air to fly outlying routes. These planes were sold toDaily Air in 2005, a helicopter carrier in Taiwan which had won the bid to fly these money-losing routes.[citation needed]
Mandarin Airlines is owned byChina Airlines (93.99%) and has 630 employees (as of March 2007).[2]
The headquarters is currently inSongshan District, Taipei.[3] Previously the headquarters was in a different building in Taipei.[4]
The airline usesHai Tung Ching (海東青;海东青;Hǎidōngqīng), agyrfalcon from a Chinese legend, as itslogo.[5]
As of June 2024[update], Mandarin Airlines flies (or has flown) to the following destinations;[6][7] destinations in China may include scheduled charter service or indirect routing which transit through other countries:
Mandarin Airlines hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:
As of August 2024[update], Mandarin Airlines operates the following aircraft:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| ATR 72-600 | 10 | 5 | — | 70 | 70 | Deliveries until 2025.[12][13] |
| Total | 10 | 5 | ||||
Mandarin Airlines announced the lease of eightEmbraer 190 aircraft fromGE Commercial Aviation Services in December 2005 to replace the agingFokker 50 andFokker 100s in its fleet.[14] Mandarin Airlines' E-190's featured a refreshed livery, with the first aircraft delivered in May 2007, becoming the first, and to date the only, Taiwanese airline to use this type of aircraft.[15] On 27 October 2009, Mandarin Airlines retired its last Fokker 100 aircraft, ending this type's 14-year service with the airline.[16] On 19 July 2017 Mandarin Airlines placed orders for six ATR 72-600 aircraft to be delivered in 2018.[17]
.jpg)
.jpg)
In the past, Mandarin Airlines has previously operated the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-300 | 1 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 6 | 2000 | 2019 | Returned toChina Airlines. |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 1995 | 2000 | Transferred toChina Airlines. |
| Boeing 747SP | 4 | 1991 | 2004 | |
| Dornier 228 | 4 | 2000 | 2005 | |
| Embraer E190 | 8 | 2007 | 2021 | |
| Fokker 50 | 7 | 1999 | 2008 | |
| Fokker 100 | 6 | 1999 | 2009 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 5 | 1993 | 2002 | |
| Saab 340 | 1 | 1999 | 2000 | Transferred toGolden Air. |
As 2024, Mandarin Airlines was involved in two incidents with no hull loss and fatalities. OneMcDonnell Douglas MD-11 wore Mandarin Airlines' liverycrashed while landing atHong Kong International Airport on August 22, 1999, resulting in three fatalities, but it was withdrawn from Mandarin Airlines three months before the crash and operated byChina Airlines upon the crash.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Media related toMandarin Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
Members ofSkyTeam | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current members |
|  | ||||||
| Former members |
| |||||||
| Suspended members | ||||||||
