CAL bids farewell to Boeing jumbo jetsEND OF AN ERA: The Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets have served the airline well, but new-generation aircraft are more fuel-efficient, CAL chairman Hsieh Shih-chien saidBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterChina Airlines Ltd (CAL, 華航) yesterday bid farewell to its last four Boeing 747-400 planes, ending the era of the “Queen of the Skies” at the airline. CAL has since 1975 operated a total of 29 747 series aircraft manufactured by Boeing Co. In 1990, it started receiving delivery of 19 747-400 jumbo jets, with the last one, the B-18215, delivered in 2005, it said. As the 747-400 jet’s energy efficiency is 22.5 percent lower than new-generation planes, such as the Boeing 777, 747-400 jets are not competitive amid a high oil price environment,” Hsieh said. Cargo revenue totaled NT$9.1 billion, making up 87 percent of total revenue, company data showed.

Source: Taipei Times April 12, 2021 15:56 UTC