Great China Airlines
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| Founded | March 28, 1966 | ||||||
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Ceased operations | July 1, 1998 | ||||||
| Hubs | Songshan Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 13 | ||||||
| Destinations | 10 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Taipei City, Taiwan | ||||||
Great China Airlines (Chinese: 大華航空) was a Taiwan-based airline between 1966 and 1998.
History
The airline was founded by enterpreneur Chao Liang-kung (趙諒公) and former air force general Wang Wei-min (王衛民) in 1966. The early operation of the airline focused on general aviation businesses such as operating charter flights, transporting supplies, and spraying pesticides by helicopter.[1][2] The airline also conducted sightseeting helicopter tours, and supported China Television's news filming in 1980s.[3] It later suspended operation and changed ownership. After Taiwan opened skies in 1987, Greater China Airlines applied for resuming businesses and operating civil aviation services.[2][4]
In April 1994, EVA Air acquired 24% of Great China Airlines shares.[5] Under the government's resources sharing directive, Great China Airlines and two other minior airlines (Taiwan Airways and Makung Airlines) were merged into Uni Air. Prior to the closure, Great China Airlines operated domestic services to and from Taipei, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Kinmen, and Makung.[2][6]
Fleet
Great China Airlines had a total of 13 airliners in the fleet including 12 DHC-8-311 and a MD-90-30-IGW.[7] It also once had four DHC-8-102 but were sold overseas after acquiring the DHC-8-311 airliners.[8][9] For helicopters, the airline was equipped with Sikorsky S-62 and S-58T.
Accidents and incidents
On March 23, 1998, a passenger on Great China Airlines flight 9565, bound for Chiayi from Taipei, attempted to hijack the plane and set fire before he was subdued. No fatalities were reported.[10]
References
- ↑ "Great China Airlines, Taiwan Airways, Uni Air Merge To Form Uni Airways". Aviation Daily. 1999-05-10. Archived from the original on 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- 1 2 3 航空運輸研討會 [Aviation Transport Seminar] (doc) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 全國交通會議. Archived from the original on 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- ↑ "中視立電視新聞里程碑 直昇機參加採訪行列". 中視周刊 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 558. 中國電視周刊社: 5. 1980-06-29.
- ↑ 我國民用航空運輸發展史簡述 [A Brief History of the Development of Civil Aviation Transport in my country] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中華民用航空學會. 2007-11-29. Archived from the original on 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- ↑ 五南圖書. "五南官網". Wunan. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
- ↑ "高雄國際航空站 — 大事紀" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 高雄國際航空站. Archived from the original on 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- ↑ Hsieh Shu-fen (2011-09-30). 空運學－航空客運與票務 [Air Transport Studies - Air Passenger Transport and Ticketing] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Wunan Culture. ISBN 978-957-11-4521-1. Archived from the original on 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ↑ "Aircraft Operators Database Lookup - Great China Airlines". airframe.org. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- ↑ "Great China Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Archived from the original on 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- ↑ CTS News CH52 (2016-03-17). 【歷史上的今天】1998.03.23_大華航空旅客企圖縱火劫機被制伏 [[On This Day in History] March 23, 1998 - Great China Airlines passenger's attempt to hijack and set fire to the plane was subdued.]. Retrieved 2026-01-31 – via YouTube.