TransAsia Airways

TransAsia Airways (TNA; traditional Chinese: 復興航空; simplified Chinese: 复兴航空; pinyin: Fùxīng Hángkōng) was a Taiwanese airline based in Neihu District in Taipei. Though the company started its operations focusing mainly on the Taiwanese domestic market, it operated on many scheduled international routes and focused mainly on Southeast- and Northeast Asia and cross-strait flights at the time of closure.

For the defunct Kazakhstan airline, see Trans-Asia.
Not to be confused with Transavia.
TransAsia Airways
復興航空
IATA ICAO Callsign
GE TNA TRANSASIA
Founded21 May 1951
Ceased operations22 November 2016
Hubs
Frequent-flyer programLegend Flight Club
Subsidiaries
  • TransAsia Catering Services
  • Legend Travel Service
Fleet size26
Destinations31
Parent companyGoldsun Construction & Development
HeadquartersNeihu District, Taipei, Taiwan
Key peopleVincent M. Lin (Chairman)
Daniel Liu (CEO)
Websitetna.com.tw

TransAsia suspended operations and shut down indefinitely on 22 November 2016 after a pair of hull loss incidents that occurred within months. Its low-cost-carrier subsidiary V Air already ceased operations in October 2016.

History

Foshing Airlines

On 21 May 1951, FOSHIN TRANSPORT CORP. (Foshing Airlines) was formed as the first private civil airline in Taiwan,[1] flying the Taipei - Hualien - Taitung - Kaohsiung route. It also served as local agent of foreign airlines and provided airport ground handling services for foreign airlines.

On 16 October 1958, the management of the airline decided to concentrate their attention on their agency businesses, domestic services ceased, and strengthen the agency business. It established its airline meal catering services at Song Shan Airport(TSA) in 1966.

TransAsia Airways

In 1983, as part of the restructuring, the English translation was changed to "TransAsia Airways"; the Chinese name remained the same. In 1988, Domestic flights resumed, after a 30-year absence from the market.

In 1991, the first ATR 72 aircraft joined the airline. In 1992, unscheduled charter services to international destinations, including Laoag, Manila, Cebu, Phnom Penh, Surabaya, Yangon, Phuket, Danang and Manado started. The Airbus A320 joined the fleet, becoming the airline's first jet. In 1995, First scheduled international services started to Macau and Surabaya. In early 2012, the airline was reported to be considering an order for Airbus A380 aircraft to facilitate expansion to the United States.[2]

On 1 November 2011, TransAsia Airways was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.[3] In May 2013, the headquarters moved from Datong District, Taipei to Neihu District, Taipei.[4][5][6][7][8]

In January 2014, the airline announced plans to launch a budget airline named V Air.[9] It commenced operations in December of that year. However, the budget airline closed on 1 October 2016 and merged with TransAsia.[10]

On 21 November 2016, due to a financial crisis caused by two hull losses Flight 222 and Flight 235, the airline suspended all of its operations and refunded ticketed passengers.[11] The trading of its stock was suspended simultaneously.[12] The next day, the airline announced an indefinite suspension of operations and refunded all passengers with outstanding tickets.[13][14] As of 2017, some routes operated by TransAsia Airways have been reopened by EVA air, specifically Taipei Songshan to Chongqing, Hangzhou (operated by UNI air) and Tianjin.[15]

On 11 January 2017 the company's shareholders voted to liquidate it.[16]

On 29 June 2018, the company entered bankruptcy.[17]

Corporate affairs
TransAsia headquarters

Ground services

Besides flight operations, the airline undertook ground handling and ticketing for a number of foreign airlines, such as Thai Airways, Jetstar Airways, XiamenAir, Sichuan Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air.[18] In addition, private jet service was also part of agency services. Since 2006, the airline has cooperated with International SOS to serve medical flights between Mainland China and Taiwan. The airline began its catering service near the Taipei SongShan Airport in 1966 and officially named as TransAsia Catering Services in 2002. Legend Travel Service Ltd which found in 2011 was to provide travel and tourism related services under the airline group resources.

Brand and livery

TransAsia Airways introduced a new livery for both staff and aircraft in 2012. Former Shiatzy Chen designer Yin Pei Gun was responsible for the new cabin attendant and ground staff uniforms that appeared on August. The new plane's livery which design by Pace Design, a local Taipei company, was to be painted on the new Airbus A330, A321ceo, A321neo, and ATR 72-600.

Destinations

As of November 2016, when it ceased its operations, TransAsia Airways served the following destinations:[19]

Country City Airport Notes
China, mainland Changsha Changsha Huanghua International Airport
Chongqing Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Fuzhou Fuzhou Changle International Airport
Guiyang Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport
Hangzhou Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
Hefei Hefei Xinqiao International Airport
Nanning Nanning Wuxu International Airport
Shanghai Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Tianjin Tianjin Binhai International Airport
Wuhan Wuhan Tianhe International Airport
Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport
Xiamen Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport
Xuzhou Xuzhou Guanyin Airport
Zhangjiajie Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport
Japan Asahikawa Asahikawa Airport
Hakodate Hakodate Airport
Naha Naha Airport
Osaka Kansai International Airport
Sapporo New Chitose Airport
Sendai Sendai Airport
Tokyo Narita International Airport
South Korea Jeju Jeju International Airport
Taiwan Hualien Hualien Airport
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung International Airport Hub
Kinmen Kinmen Airport
Makung Makung Airport
Taichung Taichung International Airport Hub
Taipei Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Hub
Taipei Songshan Airport Hub
Thailand Chiang Mai Chiang Mai International Airport

Before its dissolution, TransAsia Airways was to open routes to Fukuoka,[20] Busan,[21] and Bangkok on December 2016.[21]

Codeshare agreements

TransAsia Airways had codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[22]

Fleet
TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600. This one crashed as flight 235.
TransAsia Airways Airbus A330-300

At the time the airline suspended its operations, the TransAsia Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[23]

TransAsia Airways Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
ATR 72-600 7 0 — 72 72
Total

Historically, TransAsia also operated the following aircraft:[24]

Most of the TransAsia fleet was leased and quickly reclaimed by lessors after TransAsia shut down, leaving just the ATR fleet, two Airbus A321 aircraft, and two Airbus A330-300 aircraft, which had been owned by TransAsia. The Airbus aircraft were auctioned off to Avianca for US$364 million, financed by a sale-leaseback on Avianca's end.[25][26] After the disposal of the Airbus aircraft to Avianca, only the 7 ATR 72-600 remained, initially stored at Taoyuan International Airport, but reregistered to the Guernsey civil register and since moved to Mönchengladbach Airport.

Services

Business Class

The business class seating offered on the Airbus A330-300 was in a 2-2-2 configuration, using seats with a 172-degree recline. Each seat had an AVOD system with a 15.4-inch monitor, AC and USB sockets, adjustable reading lights and multiple storage bins. The seats on the Airbus A320-200 and Airbus A321-100 used a 2-2 seating configuration, with a 160-degree recline.

Economy Class

Economy Class was in a 2-4-2 configuration on the Airbus A330; a 3-3 configuration on the Airbus A320 and Airbus A321; and a 2-2 configuration on the ATR series. The seats had a pitch of 30 to 32 inches and a 6-degree recline. The AVOD system was only on the Airbus A330, with a 9-inch monitor.

In-flight amenities

The In-flight entertainment system of TransAsia Airways was named as Sky Legend, uses Panasonic's eX2 IFE system. It contained real-time flight information, music, movies and video games. Available languages were English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Renaissance was the in-flight magazine published by TransAsia Airways; it had content in Traditional Chinese, English and Japanese. The magazine introduces culture, arts, food, people, design and style from across its destinations.[27]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 30 January 1995, a TransAsia Airways ATR 72-200 (registration B-22717) crashed into a hillside during flight from Penghu to Taipei. All four crew members died.[28]
  • On 6 January 1996, a man, disappointed with domestic political and social developments in Taiwan, hijacked TransAsia Airways Flight 529, an Airbus A321-131, en route to Tainan. He gave a note to one of the flight attendants, claiming to have a bomb. He demanded that the aircraft be flown to Fujian Province, China. The hijacker agreed to allow the crew to land the aircraft in Tainan for refueling; he was arrested after the aircraft landed.[29]
  • On December 21, 2002, Flight 791, an ATR 72-200 (registration B-22708), crashed due to icing, during a flight from Taipei to Macau. Both crew members died. The aircraft encountered severe icing conditions beyond the certification envelope of the aircraft for such conditions; and crashed into the sea 17 km southwest of Makung city. The investigation by the Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan found that the crash was caused by ice accumulation around the aircraft's major components, resulting in the crew losing control. The investigation identified that flight crew did not respond to the severe icing conditions with the appropriate alert situation awareness and did not take the necessary actions.[30]
  • On March 21, 2003, Flight 543, an Airbus A321-131 (registration B-22603), collided with a truck while landing at Tainan Airport at the end of a flight from Taipei Songshan Airport. The truck trespassed onto the runway without its occupants noticing the incoming aircraft. None of the 175 passengers and crew died or were injured but the two people inside the truck were injured in the collision. The aircraft was severely damaged in the accident and was written off.[31]
  • On 19 July 2005, Flight 028, an ATR 72-212A (B-22805), landed at Taipei Songshan Airport. As the aircraft taxied on Taxiway CC after landing, it made an early right turn onto a service road. The aircraft's right wing hit a light pole and stopped. Two pilots, 2 cabin attendants and 24 passengers were on board. One cabin crew member suffered a minor injury. The front spar of the right wing was damaged.[32]
  • On July 23, 2014, Flight 222, an ATR 72-500 registered B-22810 carrying 54 passengers and 4 crew members from Kaohsiung to Magong, crashed near Magong Airport on Penghu Island. Forty-eight people were confirmed dead while at least seven of the eleven survivors were seriously injured. Some reports suggest there were also five casualties on the ground when the aircraft impacted residential buildings. This crash is the deadliest for the airline.[33][34] The cause was the pilot's intentional descent below the minimum descent altitude during an approach in a typhoon by Typhoon Matmo.[35]
  • On February 4, 2015, Flight 235, an ATR 72-600 registered B-22816, had an engine failure after takeoff and crashed at 10:56 a.m. local time into the Keelung River near Taipei, killing 43 of the 53 passengers and 5 crew on board. This was the second deadly crash in eight months for the airline, prompting an order to ground all of the airline's ATR pilots until they had successfully taken part in an oral exam about emergency procedures.
gollark: Implement a Lisp interpreter. Convert the vector to a linked list. Use it to implement a recursive function which increments the numbers. Convert the linked list back to a vector.
gollark: Hmmmmmmmmmm.
gollark: Hmmmm.
gollark: As in, *simple*, or *ridiculous and crazy*?
gollark: Maybe I should pointlessly do the timestamps in nanoseconds.

See also

References
  1. Culpan, Tim (23 July 2014). "Taiwan's TransAsia Air Crash on Penghu Island Leaves 47 Dead". Bloomberg. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  2. Cantle, Katie (6 January 2012). "Taiwan's TransAsia Airways mulls A380 order". Air Transport World. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  3. Wang, Shu-fen; Wei, Shu; Wang, Chao-yu; Wu, Lilian (21 November 2016). "TransAsia Airways to suspend operations Tuesday amid financial woes". Central News Agency. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  4. "foot_01.gif." (English) TransAsia Airways. Retrieved on March 2, 2014. "Address: No. 9, Sec. 1, Tiding Blvd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City 11494, Taiwan (R.O.C.)"
  5. "foot_01.gif." (Chinese) TransAsia Airways. Retrieved on March 2, 2014. "公司地址: 北市內湖區堤頂大道一段9號"
  6. "foot_01.gif." TransAsia Airways. Retrieved on January 7, 2011. "Address: 9F, No. 139, Cheng-Chou Rd., Taipei 103, R.O.C"
  7. "09-guestbook.aspx." TransAsia Airways. Retrieved on January 7, 2011. "地址：台北市大同區103鄭州路139號9樓"
  8. "foot_01.gif." TransAsia Airways. Retrieved on January 7, 2011. "台北市鄭州路139號9樓"
  9. Shu-fen, Wang; Huang, Maia (23 January 2014). "Taiwan's first low-cost airline to be named 'V air'". Central News Agency. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  10. Lee, Hsin-Yin (9 August 2016). "V Air to end operations on Oct. 1 (update)". Central News Agency. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  11. Lee, Hsin-yin (21 November 2016). "TransAsia Airways to suspend operations: CAA (update)". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  12. Hung, Faith (21 November 2016). "UPDATE 2-TransAsia Airways seeks flight suspension, shares halted". Reuters. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  13. Hung, Faith (22 November 2016). Gibbs, Edwina (ed.). "After plane crashes, Taiwan's TransAsia seeks to wind down operations". Reuters. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  14. Chen, Ted; Chen, Wei-han (23 November 2016). "TransAsia shuts down". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  15. Liu, Jim (2017-09-24). "EVA Air schedules new routes from Taipei Song Shan in W17". Routesonline. UBM (UK) Ltd. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  16. "Notice of Dissolution of TransAsia Airways Corporation". tna.com.tw. TransAsia Airways. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2018-04-10. Please be advised that a motion to dissolve TransAsia Airways Corporation (hereinafter referred as “TransAsia”) was passed by shareholders of TransAsia at a special shareholders meeting on JAN. 11, 2017.
  17. 106破字第21號宣告破產公告 (司法最新動態) [106 Pozi No. 21 Announcement of Bankruptcy (Judicial Update)]. jirs.judicial.gov.tw (in Chinese). Judicial Yuan. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  19. "Route Map". TransAsia Airways. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  20. "TransAsia Airways adds Fukuoka flights from Dec 2016". routesonline. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  21. "TransAsia Airways operation changes from Dec 2016". routesonline. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  22. "Profile on TransAsia Airways". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  23. "TransAsia Airways Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  24. "TransAsia Airways Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  25. "GOAL introduces additional A330-300 aircraft to its fleet for KGAL investors". 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  26. "Avianca to Become First Airbus A330-300 Operator in Latin America". 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  27. "Renaissance".
  28. Ranter, Harro (30 January 1995). "Accident description of TransAsia Airways incident". Aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  29. Ranter, Harro. "Hijacking description". Aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  30. "Aviation Safety Council-Occurrence Investigations". Asc.gov.tw. 2002-12-21. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  31. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A321-131 B-22603 Tainan Airport (TNN)". Aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  32. "Transasia Airlines flight GE028; aircraft type ATR 72 registration No.B-22805 rammed into apron flood light stand during taxi phase in Tapei Songshan Airport." asc.gov.tw, 19 July 2005. Retrieved: 7 February 2015.
  33. "45 killed in TransAsia airplane mishap". Indiasnaps.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  34. "Report: Plane crashes in Taiwan, killing 51 people". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  35. "Report: Intentional descent below MDA in thunderstorm causes ATR-72 CFIT accident in Taiwan". Aviation Safety Network News. 2016-01-29. Retrieved 4 February 2016.

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