Air China Takes "Smiling China" -- its 10th B777-300ER into its Fleet

BEIJING, Oct. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At a ceremony held today in Seattle, US, Air China received a newly delivered B777-300ER which has a special livery reflecting is name - "Smiling China". It is also the 10th of the 19 B777-300ERs to be delivered to Air China. These aircraft will further cement Air China's foothold in North America and Europe and enhance the carrier's competitive edge in the international market.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080625/CNW017LOGO)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121030/CN02471)

This aircraft with special livery is a joint creation by Air China and Boeing to do justice to this year which marks the 40th anniversary of Boeing's entry into China. Featuring 40 Chinese smiling, confident faces on the fuselage, the livery is meant to get across the message that China is a confident, sincere, friendly and optimistic country, and the airline industry of China has been playing an important role in forging closer ties between China and the rest of the world. The 40 faces are those of 20 recognized staff members of Air China and 20 netizens. Each of them has interesting stories to tell about China's airline industry – they are pilots who have flown all over the world, ground handling staff who make sure that everything goes without a hitch, technicians who take good care of the aircraft and passengers who have seen the world.

Zhang Yang, Assistant President of Air China, said, "Over the years, the rapid development of China's airline industry has been playing an important role in promoting the cooperation and exchanges between China and other countries. We hope that Air China's 'Smiling China' aircraft can be a bridge and a tie, bringing a smiling China to the world. We also hope that more passengers will have opportunities to experience our B777-300ER."

Of the long-haul, twin-engine airliners, B777-300ER delivers good fuel burn and noise performance, which is in line with Air China's commitment to the concept of "green flight". The aircraft type is expected to better meet the needs of business travelers and raise the bar for comfort in business travel. Currently, Air China is using its B777-300ERs on international routes from Beijing to Frankfurt, Los Angeles and Paris as well as on the domestic trunk routes from Beijing to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu.