Air China (Beijing) will add a second daily nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Beijing (CA 988/CA 987) on June 1. The route will also be upgraded to the new-generation Boeing 777-300 ER on the same date.

The airline’s daily nonstop New York-Beijing route is scheduled to be upgraded to the same aircraft on October 1, 2012. In 2013, the San Francisco daily nonstop flight is expected to have its own Boeing 777-300 ER upgrade.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean.

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Air China’s (Beijing) saw its first quarter net profit decline by 86 percent to only $38 million.

Read the full report from Bloomberg: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Stefan Sjogren.

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Air China (Beijing) reported its 2011 net profit declined by 39 percent to $1.1 billion.

Read the full report by the WSJ: CLICK HERE

In other news, Air China stated it has not cancelled any Airbus orders and is proceeding with the planned delivery schedule.

Read the full report from Reuters: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

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Air China (Beijing) has opened a new Beijing-Hailar-Chita route. The flights, CA 917/8, are operated with Boeing 737-300s on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The city of Chita is the administrative center of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia and is an important hub of the Trans-Siberian Railway and roads. To its west is Ulan-Ude and to its east Svobodny. Chita provides easy access to China’s Manzhouli. Around the city are rich deposits of tin, aluminum, gold, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, iron ore and coal as well as large stretches of forests and hydraulic resources, which contribute to Chita’s position as one of eastern Siberia’s important industrial centers.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

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Air China (Beijing) will not resume the Beijing-Copenhagen as planned on June 2 per Airline Route. The route was due to operate with Airbus A330-200s four days a week.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

Air China Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Air China Airbus A319-131 B-6048 (msn 2559) PEK (Michael B. Ing), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Air China (Beijing), as part of its effort to build its hub in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu, will open a Shanghai-Chengdu-Mumbai route on May 2, 2012.

With the introduction of the new service, Mumbai will be the 10th city accessible by Air China’s flights from Chengdu; the other cities include Tokyo, Nagoya, Seoul, Singapore, Bangalore, Kathmandu, Karachi, Taipei China and Hong Kong China. The four weekly flights, CA 429/430, will be offered with A319 by Air China’s southwestern offshoot.

Mumbai is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Known as India’s “west gateway”, it is the country’s largest port and important hub of transportation. As an economic center and industrial base, Mumbai boasts Asia’s longest “Gold Market Street”. It’s the birthplace of India’s textile industry and one of the world’s most important textile products exporters.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

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B-2085 @ EDDF 05.12.2011, originally uploaded by llama1910.

Air China (Beijing) will introduce its new Boeing 777-300 ER on the Los Angeles – Beijing route effective on February 1, 2012.

On September 1, 2011 , Air China doubled its daily flight between Los Angeles and Beijing , the first time in the company’s history that the capacity is increased in a daily fashion to an international point. The new state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300 ER will debut on the night flight, CA 984/CA983, between LAX and Beijing. Air China is the only airline that provides nonstop service between these two cities.

According to the airline, “passengers of Air China will be treated to a host of onboard amenities. The environment-friendly Boeing 777-300 ER delivers better fuel performance and is much quieter than other aircraft. Its sculpted side walls, ceiling and overhead carry-on compartments create a feeling of openness and space. The aircraft cabin is configured with 8 Forbidden Pavilion first class luxury suites, 41 fully flat Capital Pavilion business class seats and 259 economy seats. The enhanced entertainment system features generous monitor screens at 23 inches in first class, 15 inches in business and 9 inches in economy. As well there is a wide range of audio and video on demand (AVOD) program and a 3D Airshow. Personal power outlets are available in all three cabins.

Designed to ensure maximum passenger comfort, the interior of Air China’s Boeing 777-300 ER features ten mood lighting variations in the Forbidden and Capital Pavilions, each timed to complement the various phases of a flight—from boarding through meal service, sleeping and pre-arrival. The ambient lighting recreates the sunset, night and sunrise to reflect the various services associated with each phase and create a totally relaxing environment. The Air Over fridge-typed galley preserves the freshness of the inflight meals, ensuring Air China’s passengers of the top quality of the food served throughout the duration of the flight. Additionally, wardrobe lockers, central bars, espresso, wine coolers, box for small items are available in premium cabins.”

Copyright Photo: Carsten Gurk. Air China’s sleek Boeing 777-39L ER B-2085 (msn 38666) is pictured at Frankfurt on December 5, 2011. It was delivered on July 20, 2011.

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Air China Airbus A340-313X B-2387 (msn 201) MXP (Richard Vandervord), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Air China (Beijing) on March 10, 2012 will resume nonstop Shanghai-Paris (CDG) service (flights CA 833/834). The existing Shanghai-Beijing-Paris (CDG) route will revert to just Beijing-Paris (CDG) nonstop service. Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft will now be used on both routes to replace the original Airbus A340-300s on the route.

Copyright Photo: Richard Vandervord.

Air China (Beijing) yesterday (December 15) launched daily nonstop flights from Beijing to Lhasa, high up in the Tibet plateau. This is the first nonstop flight on this demanding route. The long-range route is operated with Airbus A319s.

According to the airline;

“Air China uses its A319s which have been retrofitted to acclimatize to the plateau conditions on the route. The crew has rich experiences of flying over the Roof of the World. The flights are operated on a daily basis and the flight numbers are CA4125/6. One journey takes just 4 hours, which means the flight takes 2 hours less than the previous one that had to stop over in the city of Chengdu . For the time being, the service is the only nonstop flight between the two cities. In high season, Air China will use larger Airbus A330 aircraft on the route.

Air China has been actively involved in promoting the formation of the air transport network serving Tibet and helping further the progress of the autonomous region in areas of economy, culture and tourism. Now, Air China offers flights between Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing and Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal ) and Tibet where Lhasa, Linzhi and Bangda are served. Factor in the direct rotations introduced on December 15, and Air China now operates over 100 flights a week into and out of Tibet. The introduction of the new rotations gives travelers more travel options and will play an instrumental role in bringing more travelers to Tibet and thusly promoting local economic growth.”

Copyright Photo: Roy Lock. Airbus A319-131 B-2402 (msn 2454) taxies to the runway at the Beijing hub.

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Air China Airbus A330-243 B-6075 (msn 785) (Zijin Hao) PEK (Michael B. Ing), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Air China (Beijing) on June 2, 2012 will inaugurate nonstop flights between Beijing and Copenhagen. The four weekly flights will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays with Airbus A330-200s.

The new service will bring Air China’s European destinations up to 14, and the weekly round-trip flights between mainland China and Europe up to 178.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Please click on the photo for additional details on this aircraft.

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