China Airlines to Provide Nanchang Connection

Taiwanese carrier China Airlines is to significantly boost capacity on the Taipei – Nanchang route when it inaugurates a twice weekly service on November 1. The airline is planning to use a widebodied Airbus A330-300 on the international flight, a route currently served by China Eastern Airlines on a similar twice weekly schedule, albeit using smaller A320 equipment.

In the last year an estimated 30,000 O&D passengers travelled between the two cities, around two thirds using the direct China Eastern service and the rest connecting via Hong Kong. China Airlines already holds a 17 per cent share of the total traffic with around 5,000 O&D passengers using its Taipei – Hong Kong flight and onward China Eastern flights to Nanchang.

The Chinese city is the capital of Jiangxi Province in the southeast of the country and is located in the north-central portion of the province, surrounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. It is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites, while its location relative to the Yangtze and Pearl River Delta regions means it is developing as a logistical hub in Southern China. According to local sources, the GDP of Nanchang in 2008 was 166 billion Yuan ($24.3 billion), which converts as a GDP per capita of 36,105 Yuan ($5,285). The total value of imports and exports was an estimated $3.4 billion.