Air China Receives 777-300ER with Special ‘Smiling China’ Livery

Air China has taken delivery of a new Boeing 777-300ER bearing a special ‘Smiling China’ livery.

At a ceremony held on October 30 at Boeing’s plant at Everett near Seattle, Air China took delivery of the new, specially painted Boeing 777-300ER, which is the 10th of 19 777-300ERs Air China has ordered.

Air China received its 10th Boeing 777-300ER on October 30, 2012. To mark the milestone, the aircraft was delivered wearing a special ‘Smiling China’ livery, promoting the message that China is 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

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, according to Air China.

The special livery on the aircraft is a joint creation by Air China and Boeing to mark the 40th anniversary of Boeing’s entry into China.

Air China’s 10th Boeing 777-300ER, delivered on October 30, 2012, features the faces of people who were selected from a social media campaign co-organized by Air China and Boeing in July 2012

Featuring 40 smiling, confident Chinese faces on the aircraft’s fuselage, the livery is meant to convey 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 Chinese netizens. According to Air China, each 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.

All the 40 people portrayed were selected from a social media campaign organized by Air China and Boeing in July 2012. People were invited through the most widely used social media platform in China to submit a smiling face with an inspiring message.

Air China’s 10th Boeing 777-300ER, adorned with the distinctive ‘Smiling Faces’ livery, takes off from Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington on October 30, 2012 on its delivery flight to Beijing

“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, said Zhang Yang, assistant president of Air China. “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.”

Air China is currently using its Boeing 777-300ERs on international routes from Beijing to Frankfurt, Los Angeles and Paris as well as on Chinese domestic trunk routes from Beijing to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu.

To date, 63 customers around the world have ordered 1,380 Boeing 777s.

Air China, a member of the Star Alliance, is the only flag carrier of People’s Republic of China. It currently owns 167 Boeing aircraft, making up 55 per cent of its fleet.