China Airlines has announced plans to fly its new A321 neo aircraft on the Taipei-Tokyo Haneda route from July 1.
The daily service will depart in the morning and return in the afternoon. The A321 neo is being rolled out throughout the network, with four additional new aircraft entering the service this year.
The aircraft is configured for 180 seats, comprising 12 in Premium Business Class and 168 in economy.
The airline is also preparing to schedule additional flights in August and September following the easing of international border restrictions. The airline will increase passenger flights by 40 per cent in the third quarter of the year, with over 150 services each week.
Aside from the July launch, China Airlines says that “passenger-carrying services will also be scheduled for the Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka routes as well” and that flights to Seoul will be increased to daily from August.
In Europe, services to London will be increased to two flights per week, Frankfurt will increase to four-times-weekly, and services to Amsterdam will go to three-times-weekly.
There will also be increases in frequencies from August for a number of routes departing from Taoyuan:
- Services to Bangkok will be increased to 14 flights per week
- Services to Manila, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will be increased to 10 flights per week
- Services to Kuala Lumpur will be increased to four flights per week
- Services to Penang will be increased to two flights per week
- Services to Singapore and Phnom Penh to three flights per week
- Services to Yangon, Myanmar, to two flights per week
In terms of its long-haul North American routes:
- Services to Ontario will be increased to two flights per week in August
- Flights to Los Angeles will be increased to five per week
- The Taiwan and greater Los Angeles (California) area route will now include daily flights
- The San Francisco service will be increased to five flights per week
- Vancouver will be increased to three flights per week.
Australian routes will see two-times-weekly flights to Sydney and Melbourne, while Brisbane will have one flight per week. Direct flights to Auckland will be increased to one flight every two weeks.
The carrier states that “rolling reviews and adjustments will be made based on the latest developments in China’s epidemic prevention policy”.
It added:
“China Airlines is now ready for the revival of the travel industry in the post-pandemic era. Potential markets are being assessed to identify new destinations or increase service frequency in preparation for the recovery of passenger demand.”