June 8, 2004, Taipei, Taiwan – In the wake of successfully launching passenger services to Rome in 1995, China Airlines will inaugurate cargo flight to Milan, Italy, on June 27 with two flights per week, using a modern Boeing 747-400F freighter. Milan will become China Airlines’ second destination in Italy, and sixth destination in Europe.

The Milan service will have two weekly flights; the itinerary for Thursday flights (CI257/258) will be Taipei-Abu Dhabi-Luxembourg-Milan-Abu Dhabi-Bangkok-Taipei, and the itinerary for Sunday flights (CI255/256) will be Taipei-Delhi-Manchester-Milan-Abu Dhabi-Taipei. Following the inauguration of the Milan service, cargo forwarders will be able to ship goods directly between Taiwan and Italy, without using truck transportation within Europe. This more direct and efficient cargo service will also increase CAL’s cargo capacity to Europe, in time for the coming cargo peak season.

Italy is a major industrialized country, and a member of the G7, and Milan is an important air cargo gateway in Europe. Its top export and import items include high-end textiles, industrial design goods, electronics, computer hardware and software, and agricultural products. China Airlines inaugurated its Rome passenger service in 1995 and now operates four flights per week; these flights are code-shared with Alitalia.

Since the beginning of 2004, air cargo demand has been very strong due to the worldwide economy recovery. To meet market demand in the summer high season, China Airlines is introducing two new B747-400F freighters in May and June to help boost cargo capacity. Currently, China Airlines operates 33 freighter’s flights per week to North America and 13 per week to Europe.

China Airlines is ranked 7th in the world in terms of international air cargo traffic, and currently operates the world’s largest B747-400F fleet. It serves 47 passenger and cargo destinations in 21 countries.