China Airlines has begun operating a new four-times-weekly Taipei-London (Gatwick) service this week using the airline’s new A350-900 XWB fleet.
The new route makes China Airlines the only airline in Taiwan to offer non-stop flights to London. The introduction of non-stop flights to London represents a major boost to China Airlines’ European network. When added to existing non-stop flights to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Rome, China Airlines will operate 22 weekly flights to five European destinations.
The China Airlines CI069/CI070 Taipei-London service departs every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday on the latest A350-900 XWB aircraft, which are equipped with 32 Premium Business Class, 31 Premium Economy Class, and 243 Economy Class seats. Passengers who opt to fly non-stop with China Airlines will reach their destination in just 13 hours, saving between 3 to 7 hours of transit and stopover time. Gatwick Airport offers convenient customs check and luggage pick-up and is also well connected to downtown London as well as major English cities in the north and south, making it very convenient for transit as well as arrivals/departures.
China Airlines is strengthening its Oceania network as well to complement the launch of its UK service. This week, the Taipei-Sydney route was increased to two daily services and Taipei-Brisbane-Auckland will be upgraded to a daily service. The additional flight offerings better connection to the Oceania and European networks, providing transit customers with more comprehensive options.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) statistics indicate that the UK accounts for 11 percent of inbound/outbound between Taiwan and Europe from 2014 to 2016. The number of Taiwan-UK traveller trips also approached 150,000 in 2016, an increase of 10 percent over the previous year.
Also in the Headlines…
10 Predictions for the Airports of the Future
About the Author
