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China Airlines begins Phoenix-Taipei flight
For the first time in Phoenix history, there are direct flights between Sky Harbor and Asia as Taiwan-based China Airlines officially began direct flights to Taipei. FOX 10's Ashlie Rodriguez reports.
PHOENIX - For the first time in Phoenix history, there are direct flights between the city and Asia with the start of China Airline's service to Taipei.
Big picture view:
The flight between Sky Harbor and Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan takes 15 hours, and the flight is around 7,000 miles long.
"We’ve been working on this route for almost a decade now," said City of Phoenix Aviation Director Chad Makovsky.
Before Wednesday, the only way to get to Asia from Phoenix involved layovers at major West Coast airports, such as those in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
"There was always a connecting flight, but now with this whole new thing coming up, it’s going to be great, because that’s going to cut, probably, like a good three to four hours, right?" said one person.
By the numbers:
The flights are offered three times a week - Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
According to airport officials, China Airlines is using Airbus A350-900 on the route. The plane has room for 306 passengers, with 243 economy seats, 31 premium economy seats, and 32 business seats. The business seats can convert into fully flat beds.
Tickets for the flights begin at under $700.
What they're saying:
Taiwan's representative in the U.S., Alexander Yui Tah-Ray, emphasized that the Asian country is looking to build a bridge between their tech businesses and the TSMC facility in Phoenix.
"There are 30,000 ex-pats living in Arizona, so I think it was only a matter of time until the transportation would be established," said Yui.
Some appear confused over where the flights are going to
China Airlines, despite its name, is a Taiwanese airline company.
According to the Taiwanese government's website, Taiwan's official name is "Republic of China," having been founded in China in 1912. In 1949, however, the country's government relocated to Taiwan due to a civil war.
Per an article published by English newspaper Taipei Times in 2021, it was common for state-owned enterprises in Taiwan to be named after China in the 1950s, as the government at the time still claimed to be the rightful ruler of China.
However, some of the people we spoke with appeared confused as to where the flight was going, with one person saying, "I really don't have any interest in going to China."
What's next:
The annual impact of having the nonstop flight is estimated to have an annual economic benefit of over $100 million.
China Airlines will soon be one of two airline companies to operate direct flights between Sky Harbor and Taiwan. According to airport officials, Starlux Airlines will operate the same route, starting on Jan. 15, 2026.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Ashlie Rodriguez, with supplemental information gathered from the Taiwanese government's website.