Taiwanese Carrier Reveals Plan in Stock Exchange Filing

China Airlines, based in Taiwan, let it be known in a filing with the Taipei Stock Exchange on June 25 that it intends to expand its fleet with up to13 aircraft including five Airbus A350 and eight A321neo aircraft.

China’s board of directors approved the transaction which is valued at nearly $2 billion, although no specific deal has yet been finalized. The aircraft would be furnished through Aircraft Lease Corporation (ALC).

If or when it is confirmed, the purchase will add to the orders China Airlines placed in December 2024 for 10 Airbus A350-1000s and 10 Boeing 777-9 passenger jets. China Airlines has also ordered four Boeing 777-8F freighters, confirmed in May of this year.

China Airlines said it also plans to keep some of its aircraft longer than originally planned, due to the late delivery of some of the Boeing 787 aircraft it ordered at the 2023 Paris Air Show. The order was for 18 B787-9 and six B787-10 aircraft.

These latest purchase announcements come during a drive by China Airlines and other Taiwanese carriers to update and expand their fleets.

Those include a firm order by China Airlines’ primary competitor, EVA AIR, for six long-range A350-1000s and three single-aisle A321neo aircraft. Another Taiwanese carrier, Starlux Airlines, is expanding its long-haul network out of Taipei with an order for 10 A350-1000 aircraft during the 2025 Paris Air Show.

FMI:  www.china-airlines.com/