May 13, 2005, Taipei, Taiwan – China Airlines introduced its 17th B747-400F freighter on May 13 and will phase out its only MD11 freighter on May 14. After the replacement, China Airlines’ cargo fleet will be consisted of only one aircraft type and maintaining it the largest operator of B747-400F freighters.

The newly introduced B747-400F freighter is the second one CAL scheduled to receive in 2005. By the end of 2005, CAL will operate 18 B747-400Fs. The MD11 to phase out is leased from World Airways for one year in 2004. After returning the MD11, the operation cost of China Airlines will be further reduced.

The new B747-400F freighter will replace MD11 for flying North America cargo service. The North America cargo service will be increased from 33 to 35 flights per week after the replacement. B747-400F can carry 30 metric ton of cargo, an increase of 37% capacity. In the first four months of 2005, CAL achieved NT$ 13.67 billion in cargo revenue, a growth o f 11.5% compared to the same period last year. China Airlines inaugurated Nagoya cargo service in February and will operate 35 weekly flights to North America, 13 weekly flights to Europe and 28 weekly flights in Asia after receiving the new freighter.

By the end of May, China Airlines will operate a fleet of 64 aircraft, including 17 freighters and 47 passenger jets. According to a statistics of International Air Transport Association, China Airlines cargo traffic was ranked 7th in the world.