July 19, 2006, Taipei, Taiwan - After becoming the first carrier to operate cross-strait passenger charter flights to mainland China since 2003, China Airlines has reached another milestone, by inaugurating the first special cross-strait cargo charter flights on July 19. The first flight, CI 6901 carrying about 70 tons of cargo, departed at 22:10 from Taipei and will arrive in Shanghai at 01:00 on July 20. Return flight CI 6902 will leave Shanghai at 03:00 and arrive in Taipei at 06:00 on July 20. Currently, China Airlines has planned five of the special charter flights using a B747-400 freighter, which will carry equipment for a well known Taiwan-based high-tech company.

"China Airlines has always been the first airline to fly special passenger flights to China since 2003. Here I would like to congratulate China Airlines for being the first carrier to launch special cargo services to Shanghai," said Ms. Yao-Chi Kuo, Minister of MOTC. Also Mr. Chang, Director General of CAA, commented that with the take-off of this direct cargo charter from Taipei to Shanghai, this is the new era of the cross-strait air cargo.

Mr. Philip Wei, Chairman of China Airlines, addressed the inauguration ceremony. Mr. Wei noted that with this inaugural flight, China Airlines has set an important milestone in cross-strait direct cargo shipments, and he added that the success of this cargo flight reflects the high level of trust that cargo customers place in China Airlines' cargo capability. "China Airlines is fully prepared to use its ample capacity, professional skills and excellent service to serve its customers," said Mr. Wei.

The special cargo charter flight saves several hours compared to traditional trans-shipment via a third destination. For example, the Taipei-Hong Kong-Shanghai route takes four to five flying hours one way, not counting trans-shipment via another carrier, while the Taipei-Shanghai direct flight takes only two hours and 50 minutes. For the shippers, the direct flight not only reduces time and shipping costs, but it also reduces the frequency of loading and unloading. The CAL special cargo charter service includes five return flights, which depart on July 19, 25 and 30, and on August 8 and 10. The departure times from Taipei are all set at 22:10.

The inaugural flight will be piloted by Captain Jong Chuen-Tian, Assistant General Pilot of the B747-400 fleet, and co-pilot Mao Ai-Ti. The flight will pass through Hong Kong and Guangzhou air space before reaching Shanghai. After arriving in Shanghai, the cargo will be down-loaded in the loading area of Shanghai Eastern Logistics Company prior to ground shipping.

According to current IATA statistics, CAL's international cargo traffic was ranked 5th in the world for the past two years. China Airlines now operates the largest fleet of Boeing 747-400F freighters in the world, with a total of 19 of the new aircraft. In March 2006, China Airlines was ranked 1st in the world in the Air cargo Excellence Award announced by Air Cargo World magazine.

Schedule of the cargo charter services:

Flight Number	Date	Aircraft	Route	Departure	Arrival
CI6901	July 19	744F	TPE-PVG	22:10	01:00+1
CI6902	July 20		PVG-TPE	03:00	06:00
CI6901	July 25	744F	TPE-PVG	22:10	01:00+1
CI6902	July 26		PVG-TPE	03:00	06:00
CI6901	July 30	744F	TPE-PVG	22:10	01:00+1
CI6902	July 31		PVG-TPE	03:00	06:00
CI6901	Aug 8	744F	TPE-PVG	22:10	01:00+1
CI6902	Aug 9		PVG-TPE	03:00	06:00
CI6901	Aug 10	744F	TPE-PVG	22:10	01:00+1
CI6902	Aug 11		PVG-TPE	03:00	06:00