China Airlines might change its brand name

On 11 April, the Taiwanese Ministry of Transportation and Communications said to have an open mind with regard to changing the brand name of China Airlines, due to COVID-19 outbreak and ending confusion with the status of Taiwan, a self-ruled island.

The Ministry, Lin Chia-lung, is “open-minded” to change the name of the Taiwanese airline, China Airlines (to not be confused with Air China).

This confusion comes from the fact that Taiwan calls itself the “Republic of China”, while the mainland country is named “The People’s Republic of China”. Beijing, which considers Taiwan as one of its provinces, has already criticised Taipei for using the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to promote the independence cause.

On 3 February, the pro-Taiwan independence group Taiwan Republic Office said its wish to change the brand to “Formosa Airlines” or “Yushan Airlines”. Seventeen days later, a Taiwanese and American group launched a petition to change the name of the airline to “Taiwan Airlines”, signed by 40,000 people.

Lin Chia-lung said that this change is a major decision, involving aviation rights and routes.