Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) Japanese low-cost carrier Vanilla Air said Thursday it plans to launch a new route between Taoyuan and Fukuoka on March 25, the fifth Taiwan-Japan air link operated by the carrier, providing passengers with a more comprehensive flight network in Japan.

The airline currently flies between Taoyuan and Tokyo Narita, Osaka and Okinawa, while it also flies between the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung and Tokyo Narita.

"The new destination in Kyushu could help us to build up flight connection between Taiwan and southern Japan," said Vanilla Air Business Manager Chrissy Pi (皮蘭芬).

Vanilla Air will be the first Japanese budget airline to fly the Taoyuan-Fukuoka route, competing directly with Taiwan-based Tigerair Taiwan.

However, in order to support the new air link, the company will suspend its Taoyuan-Ho Chi Minh City flights, which have seen around 85 percent ridership since being launched last September, because it does not have enough aircraft to fly both routes.

Pi explained that the move was aimed at solidifying the greater Japan market where it enjoys an average load factor of 85-90 percent across all routes.

The airline will initially fly daily between Taoyuan and Fukuoka, with the exact schedule to be announced soon, she said.

(By Lee Hsin-Yin)
Enditem/AW