Chinese Air Transport Authority Ilyushin IL-86 | B-1993

Founded in 1949 after the victorious Communists took over mainland China, the CATA (中国航空运输局) was China's government agency for regulating air transport, as well as the national airline. At one time having a reported fleet of over 2,000 aircraft, the airline connected all parts of the country together, in the name of national unity. The airline split in 1987 into four airlines; one of these was China Central Airlines, which took over, notably, the Shanghai operations of CATA. The IL-86 was operated by CATA from 1983 past its split in 1987, and was used as a high-capacity aircraft for operations between cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Chengdu, as well as operating routes to the Soviet Union, notably the Beijing-Urumqi-Moscow Sheremetyevo route.

CATA ended operations in 1987 with 9 IL-86s; 5 of them went to the newly formed China Central Airlines.