June 4, 2001, Taipei, Taiwan - China Airlines will inaugurate Taipei-Seattle-San Francisco route on June 6 with two flights per week, making Seattle its ninth all cargo destination in the U.S. Boeing 747-400 freighter will be used on this new route. The Taipei-Seattle flight, numbered CI224, will depart every Wednesday and Saturday from Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport and arrive in Seattle later in the evening. The return flight CI223 will depart from Seattle every Wednesday and Saturday, stop at San Francisco and then proceed to Taipei. Located in Washington State, Seattle is the home for Boeing, Microsoft, GIT and Nike and the hub for trans-Pacific traffic and business. The major export items from Seattle are high-tech goods, electronic products, shoes and fruit. It is expected the inauguration of Seattle cargo route will further improve China Airlines' cargo operation in the US. China Airlines will operate 55 cargo flights per week in its summer schedule, including 26 trans-Pacific, 11 European and 18 Asian regional flights.