China Airlines set to Return to London with A350-900s

Taiwanese carrier China Airlines has confirmed that it will suspend its twice weekly service between Taipei Taoyuan and London Heathrow from March 25, 2012, but the UK market remains crucial to its European strategy and it is likely to relaunch flights to London following the delivery of its new Airbus A350-900 airliners around 2015.

China Airlines first entered the UK market in March 2010 and was the sole company to provide direct links between Taipei and London. Its fellow Taiwanese carrier EVA Air also flies the route but its aircraft operate via Bangkok. In the past year an estimated 87,000 O&D passengers travelled between Taipei and London Heathrow and China Airlines had managed to secure an almost equal share of the traffic to its established rival with 26 per cent of the market.

The operator says it will continue to serve the London market through a codeshare with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which will connect to its own flights to Taipei Taoyuan from Amsterdam Schiphol which operate via Bangkok. Ironically, on the same day China Airlines announced its plans, KLM also switched the operation of its own Amsterdam – Taipei link from a one-stop to a direct service.

The Taipei Taoyuan – London Heathrow route was flown using a four-engine Airbus A340-300 due to the range of the flight. The poor fuel efficiency of the aircraft when compared with twin-engine equipment is likely to have been a factor in the decision, especially with high fuel prices, while the European economic crisis and increased taxation in the UK are also likely to have played a role in the suspension of the route.

However, China Airlines says it remains committed to the UK market and will be retaining its regional office in London as well as a North of England sales office. This further strengthens the view that the carrier will seek to return to the country at its earliest convenience, a view a spokesman for the carrier confirmed to The HUB was a possibility. “China Airlines will certainly be keeping London on the radar and the arrival of new modern generation airliners in the future could facilitate a return to the market,” he said.

The table above highlights the importance of the London Heathrow market with the UK hub the third largest European destination for traffic to/from Taiwan. All six top markets are currently served directly, either on a non- or one-stop basis, with Munich, Milan and Zürich all showing the demand to potentially support direct services in the future.

China Airlines placed a firm order for 14 A350-900s in January 2008 and will use them to replace its older A340-300s. The aircraft will be configured with 36 Dynasty Class (Business Class) and 291 Economy seats and their range and fuel efficiency will make them well suited to serve destinations in Europe. The carrier expects to receive the aircraft from 2015 and will use them to replace its six A340-300s and six A330-300s and to support network growth. It also has options for a further six aircraft which if converted would be delivered in 2019 and 2020.