Air China A330 Specials Pt1: Sacred Flame Liner

The 2008 Beijing Olympic games marked a major milestone in China's aim of being internationally recognised and it was no surprise that the state pulled out all the stops to deliver on its promises. To that end the government controlled airlines got involved also with the flag carrier Air China being front and centre. One of the most important duties to be performed by the airline was carrying the Olympic flame itself, though this did turn out to be somewhat controversial.

Air China Airbus A330-243 B-6075 Panda Models 1:400 Scale Model Airliner

China first sent an Olympics delegation in 1984, to Los Angeles, and it was CAAC which flew them their. Air China represents the fag carrier portion of the original monolithic CAAC and was presented on March 12, 2008 with the role of torch carrier by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the games. As you'd expect Air China's General Manager, Western USA - Zhihang Chi said:

"We're honored to carry the Olympic flame around the globe, and help deliver its message of hope and unity for the world. Involvement in the Olympic movement supports our international marketing and service initiatives to further enhance Air China's profile and brand recognition in the international community,"

Ms. Zhang Lan, Vice President of Air China, said, "The torch relay is a significant event before the opening of the Olympic Games. As the carrier of the overseas charter flight for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games torch relay, Air China will spread traditional Chinese culture to the whole world. In addition, the staff of Air China will also aim to develop the Olympic spirit of 'faster, higher and stronger', by improving their products and services constantly, and serving passengers who are always concerned about and trust Air China."

Interestingly Olympic regulations require that two flames travel the world in case one goes out! They are carried in special safety lanterns and the interior of the airliner chosen by Air China to fly the flames was modified to enable the lanterns to maintain their staility inflight. This aircraft was the Airbus A330-243 B-6075. Air China acquired its first A330 in May 2006 and by November had five in the fleet – B-6070-73 and 6075.

The aircraft was decorated with an attractive livery showcasing the Olympic Sacred Flames and was unveiled on March 27 ready for her flight to Athens on March 29. Following collection of the flames she flew to 21 cities on 5 continents around the world covering 137,000 km (85,077 miles) in 130 days. She then undertook a tour of Chinese cities until the opening ceremony on August 8. During the torch events at each city there were 20,000 torchbearers and 5,000 escort runners involved.

It wasn't all plain sailing to be fair as the 'Journey of Harmony' proved a lightning rod for protests over China's human rights record and especially from pro-Tibet supporters. In fact subsequently the IOC banned future international torch relays! Protestors in Paris even managed to put the torch out. The flame did however rather bizarrely get carried up Mt Everest on a 108 km long purpose built "highway" on the Tibetan side of the mountain.

Air China Airbus A330-243 B-6075 Phoenix & Panda versions of the same model

Nonetheless from an aviation perspective the relay was a success. Subsequently B-6075 was put back into standard service and repainted in the Zijin Hao 'Forbidden Pavilion Liner' scheme. This even more impressive scheme will be the focus of part 2 of our look at Air China A330 special schemes.

References

2008, March. Air China Successfully Wins The Title of "Designated Olympic Torch Carrier". China Aviation Daily
2008, April. Air China Carries the Olympic Torch around the Globe. Business Wire.com
2008. Air China Olympic Torch Relay A330. JetPhotos forums
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay. Wikipedia