Tigerair Taiwan launches Komatsu route today, first budget airline to fly to Japan’s Hokuriku region

Tiger Babies accompany passengers in a photo frame for the inaugural flight. (Photo by Chang Pei-fen)

Tigerair Taiwan launched its 10th Japanese destination, Komatsu, today (18th), marking also its 10th Taiwan-Japan round-trip route from Taoyuan. It has become the first budget airline from any country to fly into the Komatsu area. The inaugural flight achieved a passenger load factor of over 90%, nearly full—a remarkable result.

Komatsu is the third-largest city in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, located near the Sea of Japan with abundant seafood. It is close to popular tourist destinations such as Kanazawa City and the Kaga Onsen hot spring area, offering a rich historical and traditional cultural atmosphere. In addition to attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists every year, Komatsu Airport has also become an important gateway for foreign visitors to the Hokuriku region.

To celebrate the inaugural flight of Tigerair Taiwan’s Taoyuan-Komatsu route, a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today at Komatsu Airport. Ishikawa Governor Masanori Tanimoto, Chairman of the Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly Yoshiaki Yonezawa, Komatsu Mayor Shinsuke Wada, and Chairman of the Komatsu City Assembly Yoshio Miyagawa all attended the inaugural celebration ceremony. They welcomed passengers on the first Tigerair Taiwan flight to visit Komatsu, while Tigerair Taiwan Chairman Victor Chang also welcomed local travelers aboard the airline to visit Taiwan.

All passengers on the inaugural flight IT252 from Taoyuan to Komatsu on Tigerair Taiwan received a specially designed limited-edition inaugural postcard. Friendly Tiger Babies also took photos with passengers in the departure lounge at Taoyuan Airport. Upon arrival at Komatsu Airport, the local mascot welcomed all inaugural passengers and presented each with an inaugural souvenir gift, which included a gold foil keychain and local tourism information.

Tigerair Taiwan stated that in the initial phase of the Taoyuan-Komatsu route, there will be two flights per week—on Thursdays and Sundays. The outbound flight IT252 departs Taoyuan Airport at 07:00 on Thursdays and at 10:55 on Sundays. The return flight IT253 departs Komatsu Airport at 11:45 on Thursdays and at 15:35 on Sundays.

Currently, Tigerair Taiwan operates a total of 14 Taiwan-Japan routes, with departures available from either Taoyuan Airport or Kaohsiung Airport. In addition, passengers can combine Komatsu and Nagoya as entry and exit points to plan in-depth travel to the mountainous regions and Hokuriku area from central Japan.

(Business News)