Taiwanese flag carrier China Airlines will resume its four-times-weekly service linking Taipei and Chiang Mai in Thailand starting June 23 this year.
The airline has confirmed to Business Traveller Asia-Pacific that it once launched the Taipei-Chiang Mai route, but cancelled the service in 2013.
The airline will fly to Chiang Mai on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The flight will depart from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 0730 and arrive at Chiang Mai International Airport at 1020, while the return service will leave Chiang Mai at 1120 before landing in Taipei at 1635.
| From | To | Flight No. | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) | Chiang Mai (CNX) | CI851 | 0730 | 1020 | Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday |
| Chiang Mai (CNX) | Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) | CI852 | 1120 | 1635 |
The airline will use a 158-seater Boeing 737-800 aircraft on this route. This narrowbody aircraft has eight business class seats in a 2-2 configuration and 150 economy class seats in a 3-3 configuration.
The addition of this new route will be China Airlines’ 17th route to Southeast Asia. The airline said it decided to launch this route “due to the strong outlook of the Southeast Asia travel market”. Last month, it announced the launch of its new Taipei-Cebu service, set to begin service on March 29 this year.
Chiang Mai, located in the north of the country, is the second largest city in Thailand. The airline said it’s known as a “treasure trove of artistic architecture” because of its many heritage sites and temples. Other attractions include sites and monuments of the Lanna dynasty, traditional cuisines of northern Thailand, jungle zipline tours, diverse natural sceneries and a pleasant climate all year round.
Fellow Taiwanese carrier Eva Air operates daily non-stop flights between Taipei and Chiang Mai on an Airbus A321-200. Thai Air Asia also flies four times per week between the two cities.
China Airlines’ flight schedule for this route is very similar to Eva Air’s current flight schedule. The table below shows the timetable of Eva Air’s Taipei-Chiang Mai service:
| From | To | Flight No. | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) | Chiang Mai (CNX) | BR257 | 0725 | 1025 | Daily |
| Chiang Mai (CNX) | Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) | BR258 | 1130 | 1645 |
China Airlines said it is continuing to expand its global network by targeting European, American and Oceania travellers transiting through Taiwan, as well as through the increasing popularity of self-guided tours among Taiwanese travellers.
The carrier flies to 72 destinations around the world, including 15 in Southeast Asia, 16 in Northeast Asia, 27 in Mainland China and the remaining 14 in Europe, the Americas, New Zealand and Australia.
