B-2404 ¦ ZRH 27.07.1978
Boeing B.707-3J6B (c/n 20715/870)
CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China)
Zürich-Kloten (ZRH/LSZH)
27 July 1978
The Civil Aviation Administration of China, or better known as CAAC, was formed in 1949 as the national carrier of the newly-founded People's Republic of China. Initially using mostly Soviet aircraft, a total of 20 new Boeing 707s were acquired between 1973 and 1983, mainly to replace the Soviet-built Ilyushin IL-62s on long range services, and becoming some of the first Western aircraft imported into China.
B-2404 was built and delivered in 1973, and was captured on finals to runway 14 on CAAC's then weekly Peking to Zürich service. Peking was named Beijing in pinyin languagae since at least 1403, but in 1979 China began actively using pinyin, changing the names of cities from how they were spelled in English and other languages.
When CAAC was split up into six new carriers in 1988, it was Air China which was formed to take over CAAC's international routes, and subsequently most of the Boeing 707s were transferred to Air China. B-2404 was eventually etired in 1995, and sold to the Angolan Government as D2-TPR. It was reported as withdrawn from use and stored at Luanda in 2007. It's further fate, however, is unknown.
B-2404 ¦ ZRH 27.07.1978
Boeing B.707-3J6B (c/n 20715/870)
CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China)
Zürich-Kloten (ZRH/LSZH)
27 July 1978
The Civil Aviation Administration of China, or better known as CAAC, was formed in 1949 as the national carrier of the newly-founded People's Republic of China. Initially using mostly Soviet aircraft, a total of 20 new Boeing 707s were acquired between 1973 and 1983, mainly to replace the Soviet-built Ilyushin IL-62s on long range services, and becoming some of the first Western aircraft imported into China.
B-2404 was built and delivered in 1973, and was captured on finals to runway 14 on CAAC's then weekly Peking to Zürich service. Peking was named Beijing in pinyin languagae since at least 1403, but in 1979 China began actively using pinyin, changing the names of cities from how they were spelled in English and other languages.
When CAAC was split up into six new carriers in 1988, it was Air China which was formed to take over CAAC's international routes, and subsequently most of the Boeing 707s were transferred to Air China. B-2404 was eventually etired in 1995, and sold to the Angolan Government as D2-TPR. It was reported as withdrawn from use and stored at Luanda in 2007. It's further fate, however, is unknown.