Starlux launches maiden flight to Hakodate in Japan

Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) Taiwan-based startup carrier Starlux Airlines on Thursday launched its maiden commercial flight between Taoyuan and Hakodate City in Hokkaido, the airline's ninth destination in Japan.

The flight departed from Taoyuan International Airport at 12:24 p.m. and arrived in Hakodate at 4:40 p.m. (local time). Starlux will operate five to seven passenger flights per week to Hakodate, the airline said in a statement issued Thursday.

Starlux Chief Strategy Officer Simon Liu (劉允富), who attended the arrival ceremony at Hakodate Airport, said that since Starlux was founded in 2018 it has aggressively launched new routes between Taiwan and Japan.

Hakodate is the second destination the airline serves in Hokkaido, following Sapporo, according to Liu, who added that the city, located at the southern tip of Hokkaido, is a good place to visit all year round.

In addition to Hakodate and Sapporo, Starlux provides flights from Taoyuan to Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sendai, Kumamoto and Nagoya.

The airline uses the Airbus A321neo aircraft on the new route which has 188 seats in a two-class configuration of eight business class seats and 180 economy class seats.

To mark the launch of the new route, passengers traveling on the inaugural flight to Hakodate were treated with "Hakodate rusk" provided by King Bake which is made with domestic wheat grown in Hokkaido, according to the airline.