China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) announced on Saturday that it will launch direct flights between Taoyuan and the city of Ontario in California in spring next year, making it the first Asian carrier to introduce regular services to the destination in eastern Los Angeles.
Ontario International Airport, the second-largest airport in the Greater Los Angeles area, offers easier access to the popular tourist destination of San Diego, as well as Whittier, Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights — where there are significant Chinese-speaking communities, CAL said.
The market is seen as promising also because the Ontario metropolitan area, along with Riverside and San Bernardino, has a large population and extensive freight business operators.
CAL said it will operate four weekly round-tip services initially, using Boeing 777-300ERs.
CAL chairman Ho Nuan-hsuan (何煖軒), who signed a contract with airport president Alan Wapner the previous day in California, said flight frequency will be increased to one flight per day during peak seasons, depending on market demand.
The Taoyuan-Ontario route is CAL’s second non-stop service between Taiwan and the Greater Los Angeles region since it began flying to Los Angeles in 1971.
CAL said it hopes the new route will make the company more competitive in the US market, which has great potential.
According to statistics from the International Air Transport Association, air traffic between the Asia-Pacific and the US is expected to grow by 6.1 percent per year over the next five years, which is higher than the global average of 4.6 percent.
CAL’s current US destinations include San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Hawaii and Guam.
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