Taiwan-based China Airlines is actively positioning itself to take advantage of the post-COVID travel market. The Taipei-Cebu (Philippines) route will begin offering four direct flights each week from December 1 onwards. The Taipei-Chiang Mai (Thailand) route will also begin offering four direct flights each week starting from January 20, 2023. Both popular travel destinations will be served by the latest A321neo passenger aircraft, boosting the competitiveness of China Airlines’ Southeast Asian network.
China Airlines increased its overall number of passenger-carrying flights in Q4 by 30 percent, while the Southeast Asia routes saw an increase of 50 percent. Southeast Asia will have 17 passenger-carrying routes in operation during the Lunar New Year peak period at the end of January 2023 to provide Taiwanese travelers with more international travel options. The Cebu and Chiang Mai routes will help China Airlines take advantage of the transit market connecting flights to major cities in North America and Europe. The resumption of services and more frequent flights to Southeast Asian destinations form part of the strategy to target the transmit market. China Airlines will also continue to monitor the market and evaluate the launching of new routes.
China Airlines is continuing to develop the bilateral market for business travelers and tourists on Southeast Asian routes. From October onwards, the Taipei-Bangkok (Thailand) route will begin offering 14 flights a week. Manila (Philippines), Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (Vietnam) will increase their service frequency to 14 flights a week. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) will increase their service frequency to one flight a day, while Penang and Yangon (Myanmar) will be increased to 3 flights a week. The Taipei-Bali (Indonesia) route resumed services on September 2, and from October 9 onwards flights will depart every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday for a total of 3 passenger-carrying flights a week. In addition, the Kaohsiung-Manila (Philippines) route will be increased to 3 flights a week from October onwards.
The Taipei-Cebu route will commence on December 1 and direct flights will take just three hours. Flight CI705 will depart at 7:40 in the morning every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrive at 10:35 local time. The return flight CI706 will depart at 11:35 local time and arrive back at Taoyuan International Airport at 14:30 in the afternoon.
The Taipei-Chiang Mai route will commence on January 20, 2023. Flight CI851 will depart at 7:50 in the morning every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and arrive at 11:00 local time. The return flight CI 852 will depart 12:00 noon local time and arrive back at Taoyuan International Airport at 17:00. Early departure and midday returns assist passengers with flight planning.
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