Technically called
中国国際航空公司 Zhongguo Guoji Hangkong Gongsi (try saying
that five times fast), Air China is the
national airline and principal international carrier of the
People's Republic of China. It was formed from
CAAC, China's national airline until 1988, and serves destinations on four continents, codesharing with
Lufthansa,
Austrian Airlines,
Northwest Airlines,
SAS, and
Finnair. It is headquartered at
Beijing Capital International Airport and operates some international routes from
Tianjin and
Hohhot. Do not confuse it with
China Airlines: you may inadvertently set off an
international incident.
Air China is both an international and domestic carrier: it also has a fairly large air freight operation, and is occassionally commissioned to take the premier on foreign missions.
Fleet details:
18 Boeing 747 (400, 200 and SP series)
7 Boeing 777
10 Boeing 767 (200 and 300 series)
26 Boeing 737
The airline's logo is a red phoenix that subtly spells the letters "VIP," and it is probably the only eye-catching part of the airline's livery, which is perpetually stuck in the 1970's. The in-flight service is excellent, as you would expect from an Asian airline, but since you're dealing with a communist regime, don't expect a VIP lounge.