Transaia Airways to Increase Flights to Japan and Start Up LCC in Sept.

Taiwan-based Transasia Airways Corp., an airline with sizable fleet on the island, will increase flights to Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya and Fukuoka this year, and start up a low-cost carrier (LCC), V Air, in September, aiming to step up exploring the market between Taiwan and Japan.

Transasia Airways president Y.C. Chooi announced earlier the above-mentioned plans, also expressing confidence towards the airline market this year at a ceremony to add a brand new ATR72-600 aircraft bought from ATR, a joint-venture aircraft maker between France and Italy, to his company's fleet. He indicated that in addition to the U.S., his company is optimistic about  passenger loading to Japan to significantly grow as well this year, primarily because of a steady increase of Taiwanese travelers.

To tap the demand, Chooi added that Transasia Airways plans to bring in eight more new airplanes this year, including five ATR72-600 aircrafts, and two A321 and one A320 jetliners.

Meanwhile, Chooi confirmed that Transasia Airways is going to start up V Air in September to enter the lucrative market for budget flights, and that the LCC will initially focus on cities covered by the Open Skies agreements signed between Taiwan and other countries, and may consider cooperating with partners to fly to larger cities, like Tokyo.

By expanding the fleet, increasing flights to Japan and starting up an LCC to secure strong growth momentum, Chooi confidently expects Transasia Airways's performance this year to keep trending upward. (SC)

Overview of Taiwan's LCCs
Name	V Air	Tigerair Taiwan
Paid-in Capital	NT$2 Bn.	NT$2 Bn.
Parent Company	Transasia Airways Corp. (stake fully owned)	China Airlines Ltd. (90% stake) and Tigerair (10%)
Takeoff Date	September, 2014	Q4, 2014
Fleet	2 A321 and 1 A320 jetliners	3 A320 jetliners
Planned Routes	Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok and other Asian large cities  covered by the Open Skies agreements	Cities  covered by the Open Skies agreements