Category Archives: TransAsia Airways

TransAsia Airways suspends operations and will be liquidated

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) suspended operations on Tuesday November 22, 2016 amid reports of financial difficulties and an on-going investigation..

The company convened a special board meeting. As a result of the meeting, the company announced it would be liquidated in the wake of two deadly plane crashes, financial losses and an insider trading probe.

TransAsia’s business was dealt major blows by two fatal accidents on domestic flights in the past two years. A flight from Kaohisung crashed in Penghu on July 23, 2014, leaving 48 of the 58 people on board dead, and another flight heading to Kinmen crashed into a river minutes after taking off from Taipei Songshan Airport in February 2015, killing 43 of the 58 people on board.

Founded in 1951, the airline was Taiwan’s first private-owned domestic air carrier. It was taken over by the Goldsun Group in 1983 and was listed on Taiwan’s stock market on November 1, 2011.

TransAsia opened budget carrier subsidiary V Air in December 2014, but it struggled to stay afloat, and its operations came to an end on October 1, 2016 due to financial losses.

Copyright Photo: TransAsia Airways ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) F-WWEC B-22821 (msn 1251) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 928568.

Route Map:

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TransAsia Airways death toll rises to 40, crew may have shut off the working engine

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) doomed flight number GE 235 death toll has risen to 40 today including the two pilots. Three people remain unaccounted for and 15 people survived the accident according to CNN.

Read the full report from CNN: CLICK HERE

Investigators have been reviewing the data from the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) for clues of why the ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) crashed on takeoff from Taipei (Sungshan) on February 6 with 53 passengers and five crew members on board.

The Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan is collecting data and has suggested the pilots may have turned off the working engine prior to the crash. They were able to restart one engine but it was already too late. The ATR 72 hit a taxi and clipped the bridge and subsequently crashed upside in the river as previously reported.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Manuel Negrerie/AirlinersGallery.com. Rescuers are pictured looking for and removing survivors from inverted ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) B-22816 (msn 1141).

TransAsia aircraft slide show:

Another crash for TransAsia Airways, flight GE 235 clips a Taipei bridge and ends up in the river, 16 people dead

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) today (February 4) has suffered another crash. Brand new ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) B-22216 (msn 1141) with 53 passengers and five crew members operating as flight GE 235 reportedly lost power this morning on takeoff on runway 10 at 1052 am (local time). The airliner was unable to maintain its climb and hit a vehicle and clipped a bridge with its left wing and crashed into the Keelung River, killing at least 16 people. The crew report a Mayday on the takeoff and an engine flame out. The ATR 72 had just departed from the old Songshan Airport (TSA) (Taipei International Airport) in downtown Taipei. The airport was built in 1936.

According to the airline, 22 people have safely reached the shore. 16 are confirmed dead. All others were rushed to area hospitals.

Google Map below: A: Location of bridge that was clipped and B: Final location of the aircraft in the river.

Read the full story from the BBC: CLICK HERE

Top and Below Copyright Photos: Manuel Negrerie/AirlinersGallery.com. ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) B-22816 (msn 1141) was delivered new on April 15, 2014. It is pictured preparing to takeoff at Songshan Airport previously. Below, rescuers attempt to find everyone on board in the river.

Below Copyright Photo: Manuel Negrerie/AirlinersGallery.com. The ATR 72 unfortunately hit this yellow taxi on the bridge before careening into the river. The driver was able to get out of the vehicle with only minor injuries.

Video: Dramatic dash cam video of the crash:

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V Air to launch scheduled low-fare operations on December 17

V Air (subsidiary of TransAsia Airways) (Taipei) will finally launch operations on December 17. The first route will be to Bangkok. The new low-fare airline issued this statement:

V Air, a Taiwan-based low-fare carrier, will launch routes from Taipei to Bangkok on December 17 and from Taipei to Chiang Mai on January 7, 2015 respectively– subject to final Thai Government approvals.

Copyright Photo: Manuel Negrerie/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 B-22608 (msn 6009) displays the bear livery as it arrives in Taipei (Sung Shan).

TransAsia Airways paints and unveils its first V air Airbus A321

V air (subsidiary of TransAsia Airways) (Taipei) has repainted and unveiled its first Airbus A321-231 registered as B-22608 (msn 6009) into the new low-cost carrier’s bear livery. The TransAsia A321 was unveiled today on their Facebook page. B-22608 will arrive at Taipei’s Songshan Airport very shortly.

V air is proposing to start low-fare operations to Bangkok pending a difficult approval process.

Photo: V air.

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TransAsia Airways Aircraft Slide Show:

TransAsia Airways flight 222 crashes in typhoon-ravaged Penghu Islands, 48 killed

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) 70-seat ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) B-22817 (msn 1145) operating as flight 222 crashed into residential buildings while attempting to make a landing at Magong Airport today (July 23) in the Penghu Islands with 54 passengers and four crew members on board. The brand new turboprop (delivered on May 14, 2014) had aborted its first attempt to land and was making a go around for its second attempt to land when it crashed into the village of Xixi in Penghu’s Huxi Township and burned. The aircraft was attempting to land when the last feeder band of departing Typhoon Matmo was hitting the islands. 48 people died (10 survived with injuries) in the crash according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration. The Penghu Islands are west of Taiwan in the Taiwan Straits.

Typhoon Matmo slammed into Taiwan yesterday (July 22) with heavy rains and strong winds and was departing the islands as the flight attempted to land.

TransAsia Airways flight 222 departed Kaohsiung International Airport bound for Magong Airport. The airliner was circling the island waiting for the weather to improve for landing when it lost contact with the tower as the feeder band of the storm lashed the island. The flight had been delayed at Kaohsiung waiting for the storm to pass the offshore islands.

Read the full report from the BBC (with photos): CLICK HERE

TransAsia pledges to take care of the families and officials defended the decision to fly into the departing storm. Read the update from Channel News Asia: CLICK HERE

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TransAsia Airways unveils a new black bear logo for V air and two new Airbus A321 liveries

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) as we previously reported, in January 2014 announced the name of its new low-fare subsidiary. The name V air (Wei Hang) was selected through a contest. The new logo featuring a black bear has just been unveiled today in Taipei.

The “V” is representative of the word “victory” and the well-known “V” hand signal according to the press release written in Chinese.

TransAsia unveiled today at a press conference two Airbus A321 models fitted with Sharklets sporting two variant liveries.

The first A321 will arrive in a few weeks and will initially be operated under TransAsia name and brand however it will be repainted in September into the new V air livery featuring a black bear tail logo.

TransAsia Airways announces the name of its new low-fare subsidiary: V air

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) has announced the name of its new low-fare subsidiary. The name V air (Wei Hang) was selected through a contest. A new logo will be developed. Two winners were announced and will receive free travel. The “V” is representative of the word “victory” and the well-known “V” hand signal according to the press release written in Chinese. The new airline is expected to launch operations later this year.

TransAsia Airways:

China Airlines elects a new chairman, studies a new JV with TransAsia Airways

China Airlines‘ (Taipei) Board of Directors has elected company President Huang-Hsiang Sun as its new chairman.

According to the carrier, “Sun joined China Airlines in1970 and has assumed various leadership positions in the China Airlines Group and affiliated companies. Over the past four decades, he has served as vice president of China Airlines’ Passenger Sales and Corporate Planning divisions; general manager of China Airline’s Europe and San Francisco branch offices; vice president of Mandarin Airlines; president of Formosa Airlines and TransAsia Airways; and CEO of Yangtze River Express Airlines. Sun became president of China Airlines in June 2008 and will continue to assume this role until a new president is appointed.”

Sun immediately set up a team to study the possibility of a new low-cost joint venture possibly with TransAsia Airways (Taipei).

China Airlines:

TransAsia Airways promotes Kinmen Island with this wind lion god logo

TransAsia Airways (Taipei) is promoting a duty free shop area on Kinmen Island featuring the famous wind lion god figure as the mascot. Three ATR 72-212s will featured this unusual logo.

According to Wikipedia, Kinmen or Quemoy is a small archipelago of several islands administered by Republic of China (Taiwan): Greater Kinmen, Lesser Kinmen and some islets. The islands are located off the coast of mainland China.

Kinmen is known for its shisa (wind lion god) figures.

Top and Bottom Copyright Photos: Manuel Negrerie. A close-up and ramp view of ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) B-22805 (msn 558) with the wind lion god logo.

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