Recently, Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines announced it would launch flights to Phoenix, marking the city’s first nonstop link to Asia. Well, the airline won’t have this market to itself, as competitor China Airlines plans to give this route a try as well, though with a twist (thanks to AeroRoutes and Lester for flagging this). This should get interesting…
China Airlines launching Phoenix flights in December 2025
As of December 3, 2025, China Airlines will launch 3x weekly flights between Taipei Taoyuan Airport (TPE) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), with the return flight having a stop at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Specifically, the flight will operate with the following schedule:
CI36 Taipei to Phoenix departing 10:55AM arriving 8:00AM
CI35 Phoenix to Los Angeles departing 11:55AM arriving 12:20PM
CI35 Los Angeles to Taipei departing 2:50PM arriving 9:30PM (+1 day)
The 7,401-mile route will operate in both directions on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The eastbound flight is blocked at 12hr5min, while the westbound flight is blocked at 18hr35min, and that includes a 2hr30min stop in Los Angeles.
China Airlines plans to use an Airbus A350-900 for the route, featuring 306 seats, including 32 business class seats, 31 premium economy seats, and 243 economy class seats.
For the return flight, that Los Angeles to Taipei flight is also bookable independently, for those originating in Los Angeles. So the airline will have a bit of a capacity imbalance there, with more flights from Los Angeles to Taipei than from Taipei to Los Angeles. This means China Airlines will fly direct from Phoenix to Asia, but not nonstop.
Can this Phoenix long haul route support two airlines?
The motivation for Taiwan’s airlines suddenly flocking to Phoenix is obvious. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) recently announced it plans to invest $165 billion into its Phoenix facilities, so the expectation is that demand between the two markets will grow considerably.
That being said, to go from no airlines operating from Asia to Phoenix, to suddenly having two airlines operating the route, certainly seems like a lot of added capacity. But it’s also not surprising, given the competitive dynamics, with Taiwan having three full service airlines. It’s funny to see China Airlines even beating Starlux with the timeline for launching this service.
On the surface, China Airlines has several advantages over Starlux, in terms of making this route viable:
- China Airlines has a much bigger network, so there are a lot more points in Asia and beyond that travelers can connect to
- China Airlines is launching a partnership with Southwest, which has a massive hub in Phoenix, so there will be connectivity on that end as well
- By stopping in Los Angeles, the airline has a wider customer base with which it can fill these planes
That being said, Starlux has the advantage in terms of actually operating the flight nonstop. In the westbound direction, the Starlux journey is around three hours faster, and China Airlines’ service isn’t necessarily faster than many existing one-stop options between airlines. Then again, I know many people like the concept of a “direct” flight, since they’re less worried if they’ll make their connection.
I’m mighty curious to see how this all plays out, and if two airlines can both sustain this service.
Bottom line
As of December 2025, China Airlines will launch flights from Taipei to Phoenix, with the return flight stopping in Los Angeles. This service will launch just weeks ahead of Starlux adding flights in this market as well, but that service is nonstop in both directions.
I understand the new demand for Phoenix to Asia flights, though I’m curious if the market can support this much capacity.
What do you make of China Airlines launching Phoenix flights, and how do you see this all playing out?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.