New Summer Routes / Resumed Flights to New Destinations – Direct Flights to Ishigaki and Zhangjiajie

Reporter Zhu T?man reported

To meet the peak summer travel season, TransAsia Airways continued to launch new destinations in the second quarter. The popular island destinations for summer travel were not overlooked either,with regular flights to Ishigaki starting in May,making it more convenient than Japanese tourists who need to transfer via Okinawa;and a new regular route to Zhangjiajie, China, from June 2,which is the only direct route to Zhangjiajie operated by a national airline, further strengthening and completing cross-strait flight connectivity.

Huang Heng, spokesperson for TransAsia Airways, said that the airline began operating regular direct flights to Ishigaki Island, Japan, on May 23. With the summer peak season approaching, the average passenger load factor has reached over 80%. Additionally, the flight time from Taoyuan to Ishigaki is only one hour, which is significantly faster and more convenient compared to Japanese travelers who have to first fly from the Japanese mainland to Okinawa, then transfer to Ishigaki, taking a total of 5–6 hours. Anticipating strong demand for Japanese travel during the summer, TransAsia also plans to increase flights to various destinations in Hokkaido and Okinawa to meet the peak summer travel demand.

Starting %a few spring months, direct flights to Ishigaki are faster and more convenient than Japanese travelers transferring via Okinawa. (Photo / Reporter You T?ru)

As for the official inaugural flight of the Taoyuan–Zhangjiajie regular route on June 2, Huang Heng stated that this is the only direct route to Zhangjiajie operated by a national airline and also the first new cross-strait route launched by TransAsia in 2013. With Zhangjiajie now officially part of its network, TransAsia’s cross-strait direct routes have increased to 24, serving 14 cities in China, completing a comprehensive cross-strait flight network.

Targeting the summer travel boom, the addition of Zhangjiajie can attract more travelers. (Photo / Provided by Eastern News)

With the expectation that direct flights to Zhangjiajie will boost tourism between the two locations, along with TransAsia’s three weekly direct flights from Taoyuan and Kaohsiung to Changsha,there will be a total of six weekly round trips between Zhangjiajie and Changsha in Hunan,and as the mainland’s peak travel season from June to September has begun, travelers can choose dual-entry points—entering via Zhangjiajie and exiting via Changsha, or entering via Changsha and exiting via Zhangjiajie—to avoid backtracking and spend more time at the scenic spots, fully enjoying an in-depth travel experience within Hunan.

To celebrate the official launch, TransAsia has partnered with 11 authorized travel agencies to offer special group tour packages for the inaugural flights. The 5-day itinerary starts at NT$11,800, and the 7-day itinerary starts at NT$16,800 (excluding tax, limited to group tours departing before the end of June). For those wishing to explore the full beauty of Hunan, there are also in-depth group tour packages combining the Changsha route, offering different entry and exit points without backtracking.

TransAsia is also continuing to deepen its presence in Central and Southern Taiwan markets, withthe inaugural regular charter flight from Kaohsiung to Xuzhou on June 3,operating twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays;and the inaugural regular charter flight from Taichung to Nanning on June 19,operating once weekly. These are also the first regular cross-strait charter flights launched this year from Taichung and Kaohsiung. In addition, starting in July, TransAsia will sequentially launch routes to Southeast Asian destinations such as Chiang Mai and Palau.