Speaking at a press conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, celebrating the 15th anniversary of China Airlines joining the SkyTeam alliance, General Manager Chen Han-ming announced that the airline's passenger load factor has risen from around 70 percent in the past to between 82 percent and 85 percent. Chen attributed the performance boost to group travel operations and noted that transit passenger proportions are growing steadily, with North American routes seeing 60 percent transit passengers and European routes reaching 50 percent.
Detailing specific long-haul route performance, Chen noted that more than 60 percent of passengers on the Seattle route connect through Taiwan to Northeast and Southeast Asia. On the Phoenix route, transit passengers from countries such as Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam flying via Taiwan currently account for approximately 15 percent of traffic, with numbers continuing to rise. Furthermore, driven by TSMC's factory setup in Europe, passenger traffic on routes to Frankfurt and Prague has increased, while demand for connections from London via Taipei to Oceania remains strong.
Regarding network plans for the next two years, Chen stated that the focus will be on strengthening and increasing flight frequencies on existing routes before new aircraft are delivered. China Airlines plans to add flight frequencies to London and Prague in Europe, while also planning continued frequency increases for the Oceania market in the fourth quarter to maximize operational advantages under current fleet capacity.
On fleet renewal and cabin upgrades, Chen disclosed that China Airlines' aircraft purchase order delivery timeline extends to 2030 and 2032. In addition to expecting the delivery of a Boeing 787-9 by the end of this year, the carrier plans to introduce Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 777-9 widebody aircraft in the future. Meanwhile, the airline's current Airbus A350-900 fleet is scheduled to undergo cabin retrofits in 2027 to enhance customer service.
