# Mandarin Airlines

Mandarin Airlines (traditional Chinese: 華信航空; simplified Chinese: 华信航空; pinyin: Huáxìn Hángkōng) is a Taiwanese regional airline based in Taipei, Taiwan, whose parent company is China Airlines. The airline operates domestic and regional international flights, while its parent company focuses on international operations. Some charter services are also operated by the company. Its main bases are Songshan Airport, Taichung International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport.

## History

Mandarin Airlines was established on 1 June 1991, and was initially a joint venture by China Airlines (67%) and Koos Group (33%); the Chinese name of the company is formed by the combination of the two. The establishment of Mandarin Airlines is closely related to the political status of Taiwan. At the time, Mandarin Airlines' parent company, China Airlines, still served as the flag carrier of the Republic of China, with the flag of the Republic of China a part of its livery. Denying the existence of the Taipei government, the People's Republic of China hence attempted to boycott the international presence of China Airlines, using trade barriers to achieve its political goal. However, PRC's objection did not extend to other Taiwanese carriers not carrying the ROC flag. As a way to work around these limits, Mandarin Airlines was founded while China Airlines maintained its role as the flag carrier.
On 16 October 1991, Mandarin Airlines started operations with direct flights from Taipei to Sydney in Australia. The next step was the opening of a direct air route to Vancouver in Canada on 7 December 1991. Thus, Mandarin Airlines became Taiwan's first airline to fly direct to Australia and Canada. The China Trust Group pulled its investment in Mandarin Airlines on 31 October 1992, turning the airline into a company virtually wholly owned by China Airlines (90.05%) by December 1992. Also, Mandarin Airlines' role was changed to that of a primary domestic and short-range intra-regional airline, after parent China Airlines was able to re-establish its emphasis on international routes, due to a new livery that did not include the national flag, and thus faced less objection from the PRC.
On 8 August 1999, China Airlines formally merged its subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, with Formosa Airlines under the Mandarin name. Mandarin took over Formosa's domestic operations and aircraft while Mandarin's fleet and most of its international flights were transferred to China Airlines. In early 2000, the airline bought 5 Dornier 228 from Uni Air to fly outlying routes. These planes were sold to Daily Air in 2005, a helicopter carrier in Taiwan which had won the bid to fly these money-losing routes.
Mandarin Airlines is owned by China Airlines (93.99%) and has 630 employees (as of March 2007).

## Corporate affairs
### Headquarters

The headquarters is currently in Songshan District, Taipei. Previously the headquarters was in a different building in Taipei.

### Corporate design

The airline uses Hai Tung Ching (海東青; 海东青; Hǎidōngqīng), a gyrfalcon from a Chinese legend, as its logo.

## Destinations

As of June 2024, Mandarin Airlines flies (or has flown) to the following destinations; destinations in China may include scheduled charter service or indirect routing which transit through other countries:
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
| Australia | Brisbane | Brisbane Airport | Terminated |
| Australia | Sydney | Sydney Airport | Terminated |
| Canada | Vancouver | Vancouver International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Changchun | Changchun Longjia International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Changsha | Changsha Huanghua International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Fuzhou | Fuzhou Changle International Airport | |
| China | Hangzhou | Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Jieyang | Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Lijiang | Lijiang Sanyi International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Nanjing | Nanjing Lukou International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Ningbo | Ningbo Lishe International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Shenyang | Shenyang Taoxian International Airport | |
| China | Wenzhou | Wenzhou Longwan International Airport | |
| China | Wuhan | Wuhan Tianhe International Airport | |
| China | Wuxi | Sunan Shuofang International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Xiamen | Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport | |
| China | Yancheng | Yancheng Nanyang International Airport | Terminated |
| China | Zhengzhou | Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Frankfurt | Frankfurt Airport | Terminated |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Hong Kong International Airport | Terminated |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Kai Tak Airport | Airport closed |
| Japan | Ishigaki | New Ishigaki Airport | Terminated |
| Japan | Ōita | Oita Airport $^{Charter}$ | Terminated |
| Japan | Osaka | Kansai International Airport | Terminated |
| Japan | Tokyo | Narita International Airport | Terminated |
| Macau | Macau | Macau International Airport | Terminated |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | Terminated |
| Philippines | Cebu | Mactan–Cebu International Airport | Terminated |
| Philippines | Kalibo | Kalibo International Airport | Terminated |
| Philippines | Laoag | Laoag International Airport | Terminated |
| South Korea | Seoul | Incheon International Airport | Terminated |
| Taiwan | Hualien | Hualien Airport | |
| Taiwan | Kaohsiung | Kaohsiung International Airport | Focus city |
| Taiwan | Kinmen | Kinmen Airport | |
| Taiwan | Nangan | Nangan Airport | |
| Taiwan | Penghu | Penghu Airport | |
| Taiwan | Taichung | Taichung International Airport | Focus city |
| Taiwan | Taipei | Songshan Airport | Hub |
| Taiwan | Taipei | Taoyuan International Airport | |
| Taiwan | Taitung | Taitung Airport | |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Don Mueang International Airport | Terminated |
| Vietnam | Hanoi | Noi Bai International Airport | Terminated |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Tan Son Nhat International Airport | |

### Codeshare agreements

Mandarin Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
* China Airlines
* China Eastern Airlines
* China Southern Airlines
* XiamenAir

## Fleet
### Current fleet

As of August 2024, Mandarin Airlines operates the following aircraft:
Mandarin Airlines fleet :
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Passengers | Passengers | Notes |
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | C | Y | Total | Notes |
| ATR 72-600 | 10 | 5 | — | 70 | 70 | Deliveries until 2025. |
| Total | 10 | 5 | | | | |

### Fleet development

Mandarin Airlines announced the lease of eight Embraer 190 aircraft from GE Commercial Aviation Services in December 2005 to replace the aging Fokker 50 and Fokker 100s in its fleet. Mandarin Airlines' E-190's featured a refreshed livery, with the first aircraft delivered in May 2007, becoming the first, and to date the only, Taiwanese airline to use this type of aircraft. On 27 October 2009, Mandarin Airlines retired its last Fokker 100 aircraft, ending this type's 14-year service with the airline. On 19 July 2017 Mandarin Airlines placed orders for six ATR 72-600 aircraft to be delivered in 2018.

### Former fleet

In the past, Mandarin Airlines has previously operated the following aircraft:
Mandarin Airlines former fleet :
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
| Airbus A340-300 | 1 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 6 | 2000 | 2019 | Returned to China Airlines. |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 1995 | 2000 | Transferred to China Airlines. |
| Boeing 747SP | 4 | 1991 | 2004 | |
| Dornier 228 | 4 | 2000 | 2005 | |
| Embraer E190 | 8 | 2007 | 2021 | |
| Fokker 50 | 7 | 1999 | 2008 | |
| Fokker 100 | 6 | 1999 | 2009 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 5 | 1993 | 2002 | |
| Saab 340 | 1 | 1999 | 2000 | Transferred to Golden Air. |

## Accidents and incidents

As 2024, Mandarin Airlines was involved in two incidents with no hull loss and fatalities. One McDonnell Douglas MD-11 wore Mandarin Airlines' livery crashed while landing at Hong Kong International Airport on August 22, 1999, resulting in three fatalities, but it was withdrawn from Mandarin Airlines three months before the crash and operated by China Airlines upon the crash.
* On December 6, 2006, Mandarin Airlines Flight 1261 flew from Taipei to Kinmen. After a normal landing at Jinmen Airport, it was found that a wheel of the front landing gear had fallen off. Later, the wheel was found next to the runway of Songshan Airport. There were no casualties.
* On 17 August 2012, Mandarin Airlines Flight 369 experienced a runway excursion during heavy rain due to improper landing and deceleration technique on runway 20 at Magong Airport. The E-190 aircraft was intentionally steered off the side of the runway and struck the base of four concrete runway lights, causing the nose gear to collapse. No injuries were reported.