U-Fly A330 undergoes routine maintenance; Hokkaido flights cut by 7 per week until mid-May

▲ U-Fly A330. (Photo / Provided by U-Fly Airways)

Reported by Lai Wen-hsuan / Taipei

U-Fly Airways originally operated 14 weekly flights to Hokkaido, but its April and May flight schedules show a significant reduction to just 7 flights per week, leading to speculation that passenger numbers may be lower than expected. On the 8th, U-Fly Airways clarified that the recent changes to its international flights were mainly due to aircraft undergoing scheduled maintenance and fleet scheduling adjustments, with normal operations expected to resume on May 15.

▲ U-Fly Airways has added new routes to Asahikawa and Hakodate in Hokkaido. (Photo / Taken by reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

U-Fly Airways explained that, with flight safety as the top priority, from April 1 to May 14 this year, two A330 aircraft underwent scheduled C-check maintenance in sequence according to the planned timetable, affecting normal flight deployment and requiring the use of other passenger aircraft as substitutes.

Information regarding flight adjustments for this summer schedule (from the end of March to October) has been announced in advance. U-Fly Airways stated that the affected A330 flights to Hokkaido are expected to return to normal scheduling on May 15, operating 14 flights per week, with no further reductions anticipated.

▲ U-Fly’s fleet of 300 “Little Bears” accompanies travelers on trips to Hokkaido. (Photo / Taken by reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

Japanese routes are one of the core operations of U-Fly Airways. The airline noted that Tokyo and Osaka routes primarily serve independent travelers, while Hokkaido mainly attracts group tourists, targeting different customer segments. So far this year, the number of Japanese passengers traveling to Taiwan with U-Fly Airways has tripled compared to the same period last year.