Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung says the aircraft of Taiwan-based China Airlines will be painted with Taiwanese design elements in the future. Lin was speaking during an interview on Thursday.
A foreign website recently released a photo of a Boeing 777 cargo plane bought by China Airlines. Though the aircraft has not been delivered and is still undergoing test flights, the photo clearly shows that the two words “China Airlines” on the aircraft’s fuselage have been moved to the end, and written in a much smaller font than usual.
China Airlines has bought six Boeing 777 cargo planes, the first of which will be delivered by the end of this year.
Critics say the name “China Airlines” is confusing and can lead to confusion between the Taiwanese airline and China’s flag carrier. To assert Taiwanese identity, the government has decided to minimize the word “China” and add more symbols representative of Taiwan to the airline’s livery.