Taiwanese carrier China Airlines and its subsidiary Mandarin Airlines will launch direct scheduled flights from Taiwan to six new destinations in Mainland China. The airlines are launching services to Xiamen, Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Shenyang, Changsha and Xian. With the addition of these cities, China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines will operate flights to 13 cities in Mainland China.
Trading Markets reports China Airlines will operate services to these cities from Taorenminbi, Taichung and Kaohsiung using Airbus A330-300, Boeing 747-400 and 737-800 and Embraer E190 aircraft.
Mandarin Airlines started operations on 16 October 1991 with direct flights from Taipei to Sydney, Australia. The next step was the opening of a direct air route to Vancouver, Canada on 7 December 1991. Thus, Mandarin Airlines became Taiwan’s first airline to fly direct to Australia and Canada.
China Airlines took over in October 1992, turning the airline into effectively a subsidary. Mandarin Airlines’ role was changed to be a primary domestic and short-range intra-regional airline.