Taipei-based StarLux Airlines on Tuesday made its maiden flight to Cebu, the Philippines, with 90 percent of available tickets sold.
Passengers at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, some wearing beach shorts and straw hats, said they had waited a long time to take a StarLux flight after three years of avoiding overseas travel due to the COVID-19, adding that Cebu is the perfect destination.
A passenger surnamed Chen (陳), who originally planned to travel to Japan, said the new StarLux route came at the right time, as Cebu has warmer weather.
Photo: CNA
Greeting passengers at the boarding gate, StarLux spokesman Nieh Kuo-wei (聶國維) said flights to Cebu, the second Philippine destination operated by StarLux, after Manila, are expected to lay a foundation for services to the US, which the carrier would launch in April.
Many Americans are interested in traveling to Southeast Asia, and the new route would offer them convenient transit options, Nieh said.
The daily Taoyuan-Cebu flight departs at 10:10am, with the returning flight departing at 2:05pm.
The route is served by a single-aisle Airbus A321neo, which has 180 economy-class seats and eight business-class seats.
StarLux launched its route to Hanoi on Friday, following the launches of services to its other Vietnamese destinations, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
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