Following the announcement earlier this month that Air France and Taiwanese carrier China Airlines would begin codesharing on the French flag carrier’s upcoming flights to Taipei, the two airlines look set to expand this agreement to also include flights to other destinations in Europe and Australia.
Industry website routesonline.com reports that from April 15 and 16, 2018 onwards, Air France will place its code on China Airlines’ non-stop flights from Taipei (Taoyuan) to Melbourne and Sydney, while China Airlines will put its code on Air France’s flights from Paris to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
The codeshare further expands China Airlines’ presence in Europe, which it has been developing recently, most notably with the launch of new non-stop flights to London and additional flights on its Vienna route set to take off on March 1 this year.
The Taiwanese airline already flies its own non-stop flights to Amsterdam and Frankfurt, meaning travellers will have a number of non- and one-stop flights to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris through its codeshare with Air France.
France’s flag carrier, meanwhile, is without its own non-stop flights to Australasia from Paris Charles de Gaulle, though partner airlines China Eastern, China Southern and Etihad airways provide connections to the continent via Shanghai, Guangzhou and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
While the China Airlines codeshare will give Air France additional connectivity to Australia, it’s worth noting that the Taiwanese carrier is set to decrease its frequency on the route starting March 2 this year, dropping from a daily service to a 10-times-weekly one, with this number going back up to 11 flights per week from March 23.
Air France will be making its return to Taiwan on April 16 after an absence of almost 20 years. A launch promotion for the route is currently available on China Airlines’ website, with Taipei-Paris economy class return tickets starting from TW$18,500/US$625 (plus tax).
