China Airlines is continuing its widebody fleet modernization plans with the replacement of its 10 Boeing 777-300ERs. The carrier will be choosing between the next-generation 777X or the larger Airbus A350 variant.
«We are looking for a new fleet to replace the 10 Boeing 777-300ERs it currently operates,» Kao Shing-Hwang, President of China Airlines told Bloomberg Television in an interview. According to Planespotter.Net, the airline’s 777 passenger version fleet has an average age of 8.3 years.
Taiwan’s main carrier is a long-standing Boeing customer: its first widebody aircraft was the Boeing 747, that was used to operate its main routes. In the early 2010s, the 777-300ERs replaced them and began operating on the airline’s major long-haul markets such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Frankfurt, as well as destinations in Asia such as Japan, Thailand and China.
China Airlines continues to rely on large aircraft to serve its most important high-density markets. The airline’s relationship with Boeing remains constant, in recent years the company ordered several Boeing 777Fs to replace 747 freighters and an order for 24 Boeing 787s of the -9 and -10 variants that will replace Airbus A330s on short- and medium-haul missions.
The relationship with Airbus has also been strengthened, the Taiwanese airline placed an order for 25 Airbus A321neo to replace its Boeing 737-800 fleet, ending the use of the U.S. manufacturer’s narrowbody aircraft in China Airlines’ fleet after several decades. The carrier also has a fleet of Airbus A350-900s that replaced the older Airbus A340-300s and currently operate routes to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe.
China Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs have a 358-passenger configuration in three classes. According to the manufacturers’ specifications, the Airbus A350-1000 can accommodate between 350 -410 passengers in a three-class configuration, while the 777X can offer a two-class configuration of 426 – 395 passengers.
The introduction of the Airbus A350-1000 or the Boeing 777X would not be an inconvenience for the company to add a new team of pilots. Although, the European manufacturer could take advantage because its model is ready to go, while Boeing is still awaiting certification of the 777X.
