China Airlines yesterday said that it would launch direct flights between Taipei and Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 3, becoming the first Asian airline to serve the city in the southwestern US.
The route would operate three times a week using Airbus A350-900 aircraft, and flights would depart Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 10:55am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Phoenix at 8am on the same day, the carrier said.
Return flights would depart Phoenix at 11:55am, stop over in Los Angeles at 12:20pm and arrive in Taipei the following day at 9:30pm, China Airlines said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of China Airlines Ltd
China Airlines described Phoenix as a rising tech hub with strong demand for business travel, but also believed that the route would offer better connectivity to inland US destinations via Phoenix’s domestic flight network.
Another Taiwanese carrier, Starlux Airlines, also announced that it would begin nonstop Taipei-Phoenix service on Jan. 15, using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Starlux said the route would operate three times a week — on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays — through February, before increasing to four per week in March, with the addition of a Saturday service.
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