China Airlines is set to launch a service from Taipei Taoyuan to Cebu on March 29, 2020, with six flights each week.
Cebu will be the Taiwanese flag carrier’s second destination in the Philippines after Manila to receive regular scheduled services as part of China Airlines’ long-term push to expand its network in Southeast Asia.
The route will be flown by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with flights departing every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Flight CI705, the outbound service, will depart at 0740 in the morning and arrive at 1035 local time. Flight CI706, the return service, will take off at 1135 and arrive back in Taipei (Taoyuan) at 1430.
“The early departure and afternoon arrival will provide passengers with more flexibility in their itineraries,” China Airlines said in a press release.
China Airlines also operates daily flights to the Philippines capital Manila. There are 14 Taipei (Taoyuan) to Manila services and four Kaohsiung to Manila services every week.
Codesharing with Philippine Airlines since 2015 has “boosted flight availability and flexibility”, China Airlines said.
The addition of the Cebu route next year will bring the total number of passenger destinations that China Airlines flies to in Southeast Asia to 16.
“China Airlines is continuing to develop the market for mutual visits between Taiwan and Southeast Asia, with a particular emphasis on the market for transiting through Taiwan to improve transit performance,” the airline said.
Taipei already has a non-stop air link with Cebu. China Airlines’ rival Eva Air flies a daily service on the route with a wide-body Airbus A330-300. On the low-cost side, Tigerair Taiwan and Philippines Air Asia also offer flights to Cebu from Taipei.
