Tag Archives: CAL

China Airlines float wins in Rose Parade

Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) won an award at the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on January 1 for the 22nd time, with its themed float “Cycling Through Paradise”.

CAL first took part in the Rose Parade in 1987, over a quarter century ago. This year, it used images of Taiwan’s famous scenic spots at Sun Moon Lake to decorate the airline’s float, which was 55 feet long, 30 feet high, and 18 feet wide.

Taiwan was chosen by the publisher of the Lonely Planet guide as one of the top 10 Best in Travel countries for 2012, because of the way the island’s authorities have embraced biking with such enthusiasm, vision and funding, linking 1500 miles of bike paths. The cycling route around Sun Moon Lake was also ranked the world’s No. 5 best route for cyclists by CNN’s “Cycling routes that’ll take your breath away.”

Established in 1959, China Airlines has more than 10,000 employees worldwide, with a fleet of 72 aircraft. It is the largest airline in Taiwan with the most frequent flights. CAL is a member of the 19-airline SkyTeam alliance, which serves 552 million passengers annually, and offers 15,000 flights daily, serving 1000 route points to 187 countries.

 

China Airlines at 50

China Airlines (CAL) was founded in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1959, with a fleet of two PBY-5 amphibious aircraft, mostly used for military missions and chartered services. With the help of the Taiwan government, CAL gradually developed its first domestic flights between Taipei and Hualien, and its first international routes between Taipei and Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. In 1970, CAL started its trans-Pacific flights to San Francisco, California.

As carrier for the Republic of China (Taiwan), CAL had its aircraft painted with the national flags and colors (red-blue-white). In 1993, CAL became a publicly traded company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. In 1995, CAL updated its image by adopting a “plum-blossom” logo instead of Taiwan’s national flag and colors. This made it possible to continue flying to Hong Kong and Macau, both of which were about to return to the People’s Republic of China.

With the global airline recession last year, CAL continued to profit by concentrating on its golden routes between Taipei and Hong Kong. On December 16, CAL celebrated its 50th anniversary with a group of 10,000 employees and a global flight operation network of 87 cities in 27 countries.

The pictures below reflect some of the historical landmarks in CAL’s years of operation.
 


 

CAL pilots and crew seen with aircraft PBY-5 (1959).

Chiang Ching-kuo, before assuming Taiwan’s presidency, with CAL stewardesses (1969).


Yen Chia-kan, before becoming president of Taiwan, and his wife with CAL stewards and stewardesses (1969).

CAL aircraft painted with the national flag (1967).

CAL aircraft painted with a plum-blossom logo (2007).


CAL stewardesses today