CAAC Airlines


CAAC Airlines was the airline division of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the monopoly civil airline in the People's Republic of China. It began operating scheduled domestic flights in 1949. In 1988, the monopoly was broken up and CAAC Airlines was split into six regional airlines, which later consolidated into China's Big Three airlines: Beijing-based Air China, Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, and Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines.
In 1962, CAAC began operating international services, initially to other countries in the communist bloc such as the Soviet Union, Mongolia, North Korea, Laos, Burma, Bangladesh, North Vietnam, and Cambodia. By the mid-1980s, CAAC had long-haul service to the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia, mainly using American Boeing aircraft, while continuing to use Soviet aircraft on routes to Eastern Europe.

Separation

In 1988, CAAC Airlines split into six separate airlines, each named after the geographic region of their main operating areas:
CAAC used the IATA code CA on international flights only; domestic flights were not prefixed with the airline code.
CAAC aircraft livery featured Chinese national flag on the vertical stabilizer, with blue stripes and Chinese version of CAAC logo on a white fuselage.

Fleet

CAAC's fleet in 1988

Before dissolution in 1988 the fleet of CAAC Airlines consisted of: