15 Nov 2019
China Airlines to Begin Freight Services to Mumbai on Saturday as Part of Expansion into India-Europe Market
Anticipating strong growth potential of India, China Airlines is expanding its freight services by adding Mumbai as another cargo destination starting from November 16. The move will strengthen the role of Taiwan as a network hub for freight between Asia, India and Europe. B747-400F freighter aircraft will fly to the new destination every Wednesday and Saturday. The aircraft will fly from Taipei to Mumbai before continuing on to Amsterdam. The return leg will depart from Amsterdam then return to Taipei via Mumbai.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai is known as the "Western Gateway" of India. Mumbai is home to India's largest seaport and one of its key airports, making it an important transportation and logistics hub. China Airlines already flies to India on the Taipei-Delhi-Luxembourg route and the introduction of the Taipei-Mumbai-Amsterdam route will be a second route serving India.
China Airlines is known as one of the leaders in international air cargo thanks to its efforts in tracking cargo trends and sources. According to data by IATA, 1,512,000 tonnes of international air freight were carried by China Airlines in 2018. This was an increase of 3.4% over 2017 and made the airline the 6th largest freight carrier in the world.
China Airlines currently operates 18 Boeing 747-400F freighters. There are 93 freight destinations including 10 freight-only destinations such as Luxembourg, Dubai, as well as Anchorage, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta and Columbus. Up to 96 freighter services each week on an extensive world-wide network. The belly cargo holds of B777 and A350 passenger aircraft are also being utilized in conjunction with the freighter fleet's capacity to optimize transportation between Europe, the Americas and Asia. Closer cooperation with partner airlines and major international cargo agents is also pursuing to provide a better quality of air cargo services. (2019/11/13)