UNI Airways (
Chinese: 立榮航空;
pinyin: Lìróng Hángkōng;
Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lïp-êng Háng-khong) is a Taiwanese
regional airline based in
Zhongshan,
Taipei,
Taiwan.[2][3] With an operation focus on domestic routes, UNI Air is a subsidiary of
Evergreen Group, making it a sister airline of the
mainline operator
EVA Air. It was known as Makung Airlines (馬公航空) until 1996, when EVA Air took a majority share of the airline. In 1998, the airline merged with Great China Airlines (大華航空) and Taiwan Airways (臺灣航空), which EVA Air also had interests in, to form UNI Airways (UNI Air).
Overview
UNI Air has operated two-class services, with domestic business- and economy-class seating. Business-class passengers have access to EVA Air's Evergreen Lounges. UNI Air's predecessor, Makung International Airlines, operated a fleet of
BAe 146 series jet aircraft. These aircraft were sold when UNI Air was formed. UNI Air's
IATA Code is B7, its
ICAO code is UIA, and its callsign is Glory, in reference to its sister company Uniglory Shipping Corporation.[4] In 2012, UNI Air unveiled a new livery and tail/logo on the MD-90, the Q300 and its new
ATR 72-600 aircraft.[citation needed]
The airline has had the largest market share in the domestic
Taiwan market in recent years, and has expanded to include international flights. A few of its former
McDonnell Douglas MD-90 and current
ATR 72 aircraft were repainted and flew for parent carrier EVA Air due to overcapacity. In recent years, UNI Air has launched services to international destinations from the southern Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung. In 2007, the airline received permission to begin flights to Japan.[5]
The airline operates mainly to domestic and China destinations, but also operates scheduled international flights to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Seoul. Also chartered flights to Surabaya and Jeju from Kaohsiung. UNI Air's destinations are:[citation needed]
On 24 August 1999,
UNI Air Flight 873, a
McDonnell Douglas MD-90, landed at
Hualien Airport and was rolling on Runway 21, when an explosion was heard in the front section of the passenger cabin, followed by smoke and then fire. The pilot immediately braked, brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway. Then, after deploying the evacuation slides and initiating an emergency passenger evacuation, the pilot proceeded to call the tower for help. Upon receiving this call, fire squads at both the Hualien Airport and the Air Force Wing rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire. The fire was eventually put out at 13:45. While the upper part of the fuselage was completely destroyed, 90 passengers plus the crew of 6 were safely evacuated. 14 passengers were seriously injured, and another 14 suffered minor injuries. Most of the injured passengers suffered burns. There was eventually one death. Fragments produced by the explosion struck 1 passenger.[18]