The government of the People's Republic of China signed an agreement with Boeing to purchase three Boeing 747SPs on December 19, 1978. This was only the second order placed by the Chinese Government for a Boeing airliner, the first being in September 1972 when they ordered ten Boeing 707s.

This aircraft was the twenty-eighth Boeing 747SP to be built and was the first of its type for C.A.A.C. It was rolled out of the Boeing plant at Everett on January 24, 1980 with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7J engines. Entered onto the Chinese Aircraft Register as B-2442 it flew for the first time on February 14, 1980. Configured to seat 30 First Class and 261 Economy Class passengers it was handed over the PRC representatives on February 26, 1980. It departed Paine Field the following day on its non-stop delivery flight to Beijing where it was officially handed over to the airline on February 29, 1980.

The aircraft entered regular passenger service on April 02, 1980 when it flew Beijing - Paris. B-2442 was transferred to Air China when it was established on July 01, 1988. Its formation was a result of the government's decision to split the operating divisions of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) into separate airlines. Air China was given chief responsibility for intercontinental flights and took over the CAAC's long haul aircraft and routes when it was granted autonomy. This resulted in new airline's titles and logos being applied to the aircraft.

When this aircraft was withdrawn from service it was ferried to Marana for storage in November 1999 as N135SW. It was sold to the UT Finance Corporation on December 23, 1999. At some point it was ferried to Victorville, California where it was prepared for use in a TV commercial for Taco Bell. The aircraft's port side had been painted up to represent Air Force One and it was observed as such on September 06, 2001. Unfortunately the commercial was never completed.

It has been reported that the aircraft had been scrapped at Victorville by March 2005, having flown 54,491 hours with 14,421 cycles.