Only 4 flights left for the entire month of September — Vanilla Air’s Taipei–Ibaraki route prepares to “submit its resignation”

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

Following schedule adjustments for the Taipei–Nagoya and Taipei–Tokyo (Haneda) routes, Vanilla Air’s exclusively operated Taipei–Ibaraki route has now seen a significant reduction in flights for September, and it is expected to face long-term cuts or even suspension.

On Vanilla Air’s booking system, the Taipei–Ibaraki route, which originally operated four flights per week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays), will only have flights available on September 11, 15, 17, and 18 between September 1 and September 20. Seats for flights after September 20 have already been shown as unavailable for booking, leading outsiders to speculate that Ibaraki is ready to “submit its resignation.”

Since Vanilla Air officially launched the exclusive Ibaraki route on March 15, its passenger load factor remained between 65% and 75% for the first three months, which was not bad. However, it dropped to 57.6% in June. Moreover, Ibaraki mainly relied on low-cost promotional tickets to boost demand, making it difficult to maintain profitability. Vanilla Air recently suspended its Manila route on July 16 and significantly reduced flights on the Taipei–Nagoya and Taipei–Tokyo (Haneda) routes in September. If the Taipei–Ibaraki route is also suspended after September, it will not only affect travelers’ plans but also severely damage the airline’s corporate image.