Mandarin Airlines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mandarin Airlines
華信航空

Mandarin Airlines ATR 72-600 landing
Founded	1 June 1991; 34 years ago (1991-06-01)
Commenced operations	16 October 1991; 33 years ago (1991-10-16)
Hubs	Taipei–Songshan
Focus cities	Kaohsiung Taichung
Frequent-flyer program	Dynasty Flyer
Alliance	SkyTeam (affiliate)
Fleet size	12
Destinations	34
Parent company	China Airlines Group
Headquarters	Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan
Key people	Kao Shing Hwang (Chairman)

Mandarin Airlines (traditional Chinese: 華信航空; simplified Chinese: 华信航空; pinyin: Huáxìn Hángkōng) is an airline from Taiwan. It is based in Taipei and is part of the China Airlines Group. Mandarin Airlines flies to places within Taiwan and to nearby countries. Its parent company, China Airlines, mostly handles longer international flights.

Mandarin Airlines also offers some special charter flights. Its main bases are Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taichung International Airport, and Kaohsiung International Airport.

History of Mandarin Airlines

A Boeing 747SP landing in Hong Kong in December 1996. This was one of the first planes in the fleet.

How Mandarin Airlines Started

Mandarin Airlines began on June 1, 1991. It was a partnership between China Airlines and the Koos Group. The name "Mandarin" comes from combining parts of their original Chinese names.

The airline was created because of a special situation for Taiwan. At that time, China Airlines used the flag of the Republic of China on its planes. Some countries, like the People's Republic of China, did not like this. They tried to stop China Airlines from flying to certain places.

However, these objections did not apply to other Taiwanese airlines that did not show the flag. So, Mandarin Airlines was founded as a way to fly to more international destinations without these problems.

Early Flights and Changes

On October 16, 1991, Mandarin Airlines started flying. Its first direct flight was from Taipei to Sydney, Australia. Then, on December 7, 1991, it opened a direct route to Vancouver, Canada. This made Mandarin Airlines the first Taiwanese airline to fly directly to Australia and Canada.

In October 1992, the Koos Group left the partnership. This made China Airlines almost the full owner of Mandarin Airlines. Mandarin Airlines then changed its focus. It became an airline mainly for domestic flights within Taiwan and short flights to nearby regions. This happened because China Airlines changed its plane designs to not include the national flag, which helped it fly more international routes without issues.

Merger and Fleet Changes

On August 8, 1999, Mandarin Airlines combined with another airline called Formosa Airlines. Mandarin Airlines took over Formosa's flights within Taiwan and its planes. In return, most of Mandarin Airlines' international flights and larger planes went to China Airlines.

In the early 2000s, Mandarin Airlines bought five Dornier 228 planes. These were used for routes to smaller, less busy places. These planes were later sold in 2005.

As of March 2007, China Airlines owns most of Mandarin Airlines (93.99%). Mandarin Airlines has about 630 employees.

About Mandarin Airlines

The China Airlines Minquan Building, where Mandarin Airlines has its main office.

Where is the Main Office?

The main office of Mandarin Airlines is in the Songshan District of Taipei, Taiwan. It used to be in a different building in Taipei.

What is the Logo?

The airline's logo is a Hai Tung Ching (traditional Chinese: 海東青; simplified Chinese: 海东青; pinyin: Hǎidōngqīng). This is a type of gyrfalcon from an old Chinese story. It represents strength and speed.

Where Mandarin Airlines Flies

As of June 2024, Mandarin Airlines flies to many places. Some of these flights are special charter services or include stops in other countries.

Airline Partnerships

Mandarin Airlines works with other airlines to make travel easier.

• Interline agreements: These allow passengers to book flights on different airlines using one ticket. Mandarin Airlines has this with Singapore Airlines.
• Codeshare agreements: These mean two or more airlines share the same flight. You might buy a ticket from one airline, but fly on a plane operated by another. Mandarin Airlines has codeshare agreements with:

* China Airlines * China Eastern Airlines * China Southern Airlines * XiamenAir

Mandarin Airlines Fleet

A Mandarin Airlines ATR 72-600 plane.

Current Aircraft

As of May 2025, Mandarin Airlines uses these planes:

Changes in Aircraft Over Time

In December 2005, Mandarin Airlines decided to lease eight Embraer E190 planes. These new planes replaced older Fokker 50 and Fokker 100 aircraft. The first Embraer E190 arrived in May 2007. Mandarin Airlines was the first airline in Taiwan to use this type of plane.

On October 27, 2009, Mandarin Airlines stopped using its last Fokker 100 plane. This ended 14 years of service for that type of aircraft with the airline. In July 2017, Mandarin Airlines ordered six ATR 72-600 planes, which started arriving in 2018.

Former Aircraft

A former Mandarin Airlines Boeing 747SP in 1996.

A former Mandarin Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in 1998.

A former Mandarin Airlines Boeing 747-400 in 2000.

In the past, Mandarin Airlines used these types of planes:

Incidents and Safety

As of 2024, Mandarin Airlines has been involved in two incidents where no planes were lost and no one was seriously hurt.

There was a crash of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plane at Hong Kong International Airport on August 22, 1999. Three people died in this accident. This plane had once worn Mandarin Airlines' colors, but it was being operated by China Airlines at the time of the crash. It had been transferred from Mandarin Airlines three months before the accident.

• On December 6, 2006, Mandarin Airlines Flight 1261 flew from Taipei to Kinmen. After landing, it was found that a wheel from the front landing gear had fallen off. The wheel was later found near the runway at Songshan Airport. Luckily, no one was hurt.
• On August 17, 2012, Mandarin Airlines Flight 369 went off the runway during heavy rain at Magong Airport. This happened because of how the plane landed and slowed down. The pilot purposely steered the E-190 plane off the side of the runway. It hit some concrete lights, and the nose landing gear broke. No injuries were reported in this incident.

See also

In Spanish: Mandarin Airlines para niños

• List of airlines of Taiwan
• Air transport in Taiwan
• List of airports in Taiwan
• List of companies of Taiwan
• Transportation in Taiwan
• China Airlines