China Airlines to launch services to Osaka, Sapporo and Nagoya

China Airlines is to launch three passenger services to Japan - resuming Taipei-Osaka, inaugurating Taipei-Sapporo on July 1, and Kaohsiung-Nagoya on July 2.

The Taipei-Osaka route, with five flights per week, will use an A330-300 passenger jet. The Taipei-Sapporo route, with six weekly flights, and the Kaohsiung-Nagoya route, with two weekly flights, will both use B737-800 aircraft.

On the new Taipei-Osaka passenger service, flight CI 156 will depart every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 08:25 from Taipei, and arrive in Osaka at 11:55. Return flight CI 157 will leave Osaka the same days at 13:15 and arrive in Taipei at 15:05. On the new Taipei-Sapporo passenger service, flight CI 130 will depart every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 09:10 from Taipei, and arrive in Sapporo at 14:00. Return flight CI 131 will leave Sapporo the same days at 15:00 and arrive in Taipei at 18:05. On the new Kaohsiung-Nagoya passenger service, flight CI 152 will depart every Wednesday and Sunday at 08:20 from Kaohsiung, and arrive in Nagoya at 12:25. Return flight CI 153 will leave Nagoya the same day at 13:25 and arrive in Kaohsiung at 15:45.

Situated in the west of Japan, Osaka is the second largest city in the country, with a population of nine million. Steel, ship building, chemical and machinery industries flourish in Osaka, making its industrial output second only to Tokyo in all of Japan. Famous tourist spots in Osaka include Universal Studio, Tsutenkaku Tower, and Kaiyukan Aquarium. Osaka is also near Kyoto, one of Japan's most famous tourist cities.

Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido, the northern-most large island in Japan, and is a large regional administration, cultural and transportation center. Sapporo is the fifth largest city in Japan, with 1.5 million people. Hokkaido has enjoyed a high growth rate among Taiwanese tourists in recent years, and in 2005, more than 300,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Hokkaido. Tourists can enjoy various sights and pastimes in Hokkaido in different seasons. These include the snow festival in Sapporo in winter, and the blooming lavender displays in Furano in the summer time.

Located in central Japan, Nagoya is the fourth largest city in Japan with 2.15 million people, and was the site of the 2005 World Fair. Nagoya is famous for its automobile, textile and machinery industries, and it is the home base of Toyota. Interesting tourist spots include Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine and the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.

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