China Airlines announced that it will begin code-sharing with Japan Airlines on seven domestic routes in Japan on September 4. The new routes are Sapporo-Niigata, Sapporo-Hanamaki, Fukuoka-Miyazaki, Fukuoka-Hanamaki, Fukuoka-Amami, Kagoshima-Amami, and Kagoshima-Tokunoshima. Bookings can be made through the China Airlines website on the September 4 to give travelers more choices when it comes visiting destinations around tier-2 cities in Japan. The expansion of Taiwan-Japan air links will also make Taiwan an even more attractive destination for Japanese travelers.

 

China Airlines launched its first code-share service with Japan Airlines on the Taipei (Songshan) - Tokyo (Haneda) route in 2010. In 2017, the two carriers became full partners on all international routes between Taiwan and Japan. The expansion of the China Airlines network increased flights to Japan from 180 to 230 a week. The latest expansion into tier-2 cities increases the number of weekly flights to nearly 350 to meet the demand from Taiwanese travelers looking for convenient connecting flights to the secret attractions of regional cities and islands in Japan.Japanese travelers will be able to take advantage of the code-share flights to travel from Niigata, Hanamaki, Amami, Tokunoshima and other cities to Taiwan.

 

Echigo Yuzawa in the Niigata Prefecture is famous for its natural beauty. Author Yasunari Kawabata, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, set his novel Snow Country here. The area is also a popular skiing destination; Miyazawa Kenji’s Fairytale Village at Hanamaki in the Iwate Prefecture transports you to a supernatural fairytale world and is perfect for family holidays; the Amami and Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture are famed for their raw natural beauty. Due to the red mangroves, crystal-clear seawater, and coral reefs in the area, it is known as the "Southern Paradise" of Japan.

 

The MOTC Tourism Bureau reported a 1.59% increase in the number of Japanese visitors to Taiwan in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. The number of Taiwanese travelers to Japan grew by 8.75% as well so there is still much potential in the Taiwan-Japan markets. China Airlines currently flies to 15 destinations in Japan including Tokyo (Haneda), Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Okinawa, Ishigaki and Kumamoto. It is therefore the leading carrier for the Taiwan-Japan market by the number of destinations and passengers carried. (2018/09/03)