Air China, the country's flagship international carrier, plans to introduce 96 new planes to its fleet by 2012 to meet rising air travel demand.

The Beijing-based carrier will boost expenditures by 50 percent to 1.5 billion yuan (US$219.7 million) this year to receive 33 new planes, Air China Chairman Kong Dong said on Monday. The carrier operated 262 aircraft at the end of last year.

The company plans to double its market share in Shanghai to 20 percent by 2015, according to Kong.