Taiwan-based China Airlines (CAL) announced that it will inaugurate a new service to Phoenix, Arizona on December 3, 2025, continuing the expansion of its North American portfolio. The Airbus A350-900 aircraft will be assigned to this route with three round-trip services each week. As part of its efforts to connect Taiwan with key industrial nodes across the world, China Airlines will become the first Asian carrier to fly to Phoenix, Arizona, an emerging tech hub with a growing demand for business travel. Phoenix also offers convenient connections to other inland American cities.
The China Airlines Taipei-Phoenix service will depart every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The outbound flight CI036 from Taipei to Phoenix will depart from Taoyuan International Airport at 10:55 local time and fly non-stop to Phoenix before landing at 08:00 local time. For the return leg, flight CI035 from Phoenix to Taipei will depart at 11:55 local time and make a stopover in Los Angeles at 12:20 local time, before continuing onto Taipei and arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at 21:30 local time on the following day.
Many connecting flights pass through Phoenix as it is a key gateway to the American Southwest. China Airlines has partnered with Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic carrier in the U.S. in terms of network size, to build a comprehensive trans-Pacific transfer network. Phoenix is a key airport hub for Southwest Airlines with more than 30 flights taking off or landing each hour during peak periods. Thanks to the excellent timing of China Airlines’ CI036 Taipei-Phoenix service, travelers can easily take advantage of interline ticketing to transfer to their connecting flight and reach more than 30 inland American cities, all within the same terminal. The convenience of luggage checked-through to the final destination means more options and flexibility on choice of flights as well.
China Airlines has continued to steadily grow its presence in North America since it first entered the market more than half a century ago. The addition of Phoenix to the network at the end of the year will make the city the carrier’s seventh North American destination for non-stop passenger flights. North American destinations that the carrier currently flies to include New York, Los Angeles, Ontario, San Francisco and Seattle in the U.S., as well as Vancouver in Canada, with 40 round-trip flights each week. There are also plans to increase the frequency of the New York route and become a tenant of The New Terminal One at JFK Airport in New York, where innovative technologies will be integrated to provide travelers with a brand new experience, next year.
Hong Kong Airlines adds Melbourne to Australian network
Hong Kong Airlines announced that it will launch a new direct service to Melbourne from 12 December 2025. The new route will operate three times a week, offering travellers more flexible and convenient options for travel to Australia.
Hong Kong Airlines President Mr Jeff Sun, said: “This has been a year of significant progress for our Australian market strategy. Following the resumption of our Gold Coast service in January and the launch of our Sydney route in June, we are delighted to add Melbourne as another key destination within just six months. This establishes Hong Kong Airlines as the second local carrier to offer direct flights to Australia’s major cities and marks 2025 as a crucial milestone in our international transformation.”
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the arrival of Hong Kong Airlines will provide more choice and greater capacity into one of Asia’s biggest international hubs. “The growth in our international market shows the importance of competition and choice, which is why we are so excited to welcome Hong Kong Airlines to the mix today. Hong Kong is the fourth largest international market for us at Melbourne Airport so I expect there will be strong demand for this service. The aviation landscape is highly competitive and without the work of the federal government to expand bilateral air traffic rights along with the great support of the state government and Visit Victoria, we wouldn’t be standing here today.”
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