Nov. 19, 2003, Taipei, Taiwan- In the wake of successfully launching cargo services to Ho Chi Minh City and Manchester earlier this year, China Airlines will resume cargo service to Delhi, India, on November 26. China Airlines will be the only airline providing Taipei-Delhi and Delhi-Manchester cargo services. Increasing demand, and CAL!|s expanding cargo capacity, are the reasons behind the decision to resume Delhi cargo service.

The Delhi service will have three weekly flights, using Boeing 747-400 freighters. The itinerary for Wednesday and Friday flights (CI247/248) will be Taipei-Delhi-Manchester-Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi-Taipei. The itinerary for the Sunday flight (CI347/348) will be Taipei-Delhi-Manchester-Abu Dhabi-Taipei. Following the resumption of Delhi service, China Airlines will be the only airline providing Taipei-Delhi and Delhi-Manchester air cargo transportation.

China Airlines previously operated the Delhi cargo service from 1999 to 2001. The service was suspended due to the war in Afghanistan. China Airlines previously announced plans to introduce 6 Boeing 747-400 freighters, and has already received two of the advanced aircraft this year. These new freighters increased CAL!|s cargo capacity, and allow it to resume the Delhi-Manchester route.

India is a developing country that has enjoyed rapid economic growth in recent years, with an annual international trade volume that reached US$ 116 billion. The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and Japan are India!|s major export markets, and its top air cargo exports are textiles, artifacts, computer hardware and software, agriculture products, rugs, furniture and medicine. Its major air cargo imports are communications equipment, electronic parts, computer products, satellite equipment, chemical raw materials and consumer products.

India and the United Kingdom maintain a close trade relationship, with a monthly average of 1100 tons of air cargo shipped from Delhi to UK. Because there is no other direct air cargo service between Delhi and Manchester, CAL expects to enjoy a high profit margin on this route.

China Airlines operates a fleet of 59 aircraft including 44 passenger jets and 15 freighters, and flies to 44 destinations in 21 nations.