China Airlines, one of Taiwan's main international carriers, has put their last four Boeing 747-400 passenger jets up for sale; as part of a plan to retire the model from their fleet in the first quarter of 2021, according to the company.
The carrier recently told CNA that they have commissioned an asset management company to handle the planned sale of the four aircraft, which were delivered to China Airlines between December 2004 and April 2005.
The four airplanes include a B-18210, which was delivered in Boeing's Dreamliner livery in 2004 and is also featured on my latest book( (Air747), and a B-18215, the last of the B747-400 passenger models to be manufactured, according to the company.
Once the main workhorse of China Airlines' long haul service, it has now been replaced by more efficient twin-engine jets such as the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A350-900; the four-engine jumbo jet was originally deployed mainly for services to regional destinations, such as Okinawa, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The outgoing model is not featured in China Airlines' timetable, published for their winter season between Oct 25th and March 27th 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has heavily impacted the international aviation industry, accelerated China Airlines' decision to retire their jumbo jets, said the company; having posted a quarterly net loss of NT$707 million ($24.77 million) between July and September.
Meanwhile, the company still has a fleet of 18 Boeing 747-400F freighters
News Source: Focus Taiwan CNA English News