TransAsia Airways A321 sent for repainting; first TransAsia Bear aircraft to appear at Songshan Airport on October 13

▲ TransAsia sent an A321 passenger plane for painting on October 4 and plans to fly it back to Songshan painted with the TransAsia Bear design on October 13. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ruizhong)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

TransAsia, set to launch flights to Bangkok by the end of 2014, will move one of its B22608 passenger planes to Tainan on October 4 for body painting. It is expected to return to Songshan Airport on October 13 as the first TransAsia "Bear-painted aircraft."

TransAsia spokesperson Tang Dun-tai stated that the B22610 which arrived in Taiwan from Bangkok today (October 3) is a new aircraft of TransAsia Airways, not a TransAsia passenger plane, and currently has no body painting. The B22608 aircraft, which arrived in Taiwan as early as March this year, is owned by TransAsia and was previously temporarily used by TransAsia Airways.

The focus of repainting the B22608 aircraft this time is the external body painting. Once the repainting is completed, it will officially become the first TransAsia aircraft with the TransAsia Bear design. Tang Dun-tai said that if TransAsia elements were to be added inside the aircraft, decorations such as stickers and paint would need to comply with civil aviation regulations, confirming fire resistance and safety before modifications could be made, so it is still under evaluation.

Tang Dun-tai also revealed that among the five review stages of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, TransAsia has now entered the fourth stage, and once the review process is completed, the official inaugural flight date can be announced.