September 4, 2006, Taipei, Taiwan - China Airlines will inaugurate a new Taipei-Houston cargo service on September 30. The new service will extend CAL's cargo services further into America's southwest region, and it will offer convenient cargo access to Central and South America. In the initial stage, the B747-400F freighter service to Houston will fly twice a week. Following the inauguration of this new service, China Airlines will provide all-cargo flights to 11 destinations in North America, making it the carrier with the most extensive cargo services between Taiwan and the US.

For the new service, flight CI 5214 will depart Taipei every Thursday and Saturday at 01:20, and arrive in Houston at 08:15 the same day. Return flight CI 5213 will depart Houston the same day at 10:35, and arrive in Taipei at 16:55 the following day.

Houston is the 4th largest city in the US, and it boasts flourishing petrochemical, medical, aerospace and information technology industries, all of which fuel demand for air cargo services. One of the major cargo exports from Houston to Asia, especially Singapore, is petroleum exploring equipment. Currently, no other Asian air carrier operates cargo service to Houston, and following the inauguration of this route, CAL will be the sole Asian airline serving this market. The Houston service will extend CAL's cargo network further into the US, provide cargo forwarders with more choices, and give CAL a better opportunity to attract cargo from Southeast Asia to the US, and to Central and South America.

Following the inauguration of this new route, China Airlines will provide even more extensive cargo services to the US, which already includes coverage of the east and west coasts, the central and southern regions, and Alaska. CAL's weekly cargo services between Taiwan and the US will increase to 44 flights, making China Airlines the carrier with the most extensive cargo network between Taiwan and the US. In the future, CAL will increase flight frequencies and inaugurate new routes according to market demand.