Tigerair Taiwan announced on Monday it will start regular flights between Kaohsiung and Okayama, a major transit hub in western Japan, on Oct. 27.
The airline will provide three round-trip flights each week for the new Kaohsiung-Okayama route with tickets scheduled to go on sale starting Tuesday, Tigerair said
In July 2026, Tigerair launched direct flights from Taoyuan International Airport to Okayama as the only carrier in Taiwan to run the route. In the initial stage, there were only three round-trip flights a week between Taoyuan and Okayama, but now the number of flights has increased to seven.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Tigerair said the carrier has stayed upbeat about demand from Taiwanese travelers for trips to Okayama and its neighboring cities so it has decided to launch the new route to allow people in southern Taiwan to more conveniently visit Okayama and the areas close to the Japanese city.
Okayama, which has a mild climate, is famous for its agricultural products, including high quality white peaches and grapes. It has many tourism attractions, including Korakuen, which is one of the most famous gardens. Korakuen largely keeps a style from the Edo period (1603- 1867) with waterfalls, tiny shrines, teahouses and maple forests.
Among its main attractions are the many “Peach Boy” statues seen around the city, reminders that the renowned Japanese tale Momotaro san, or Peach Boy, originated in Okayama.
In addition, Okayama has a geographic proximity to Himeji Castle, which has been named one of the world’s heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Tigerair said Kaohsiung also has a district called Gangshan, which is pronounced in Mandarin as 岡山, the same pronunciation for Okayama in Mandarin. Gangshan is known for its military history as well as delicious food.
The carrier said the new route is expected to allow travelers to explore the differences between Gangshan and Okayama.
In the initial stage, Tigerair said it will fly from Kaohsiung International Airport at 12:50 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, and at 10:55 a.m. on Fridays, while returning from Okayama Momotaro Airport at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and at 3:25 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays.
To celebrate the new route, Tigerair said one-way tickets will be sold at NT$1,699 (US$53.09) before tax for flights available during the period between Oct. 27 and March 29, 2025.
In addition, Tigerair said it has decided to raise the number of flights between Taoyuan and Okayama to nine a week from the current seven, also starting from Oct. 27, to meet rising demand.
Boosted by a frenzy in travelling in the post COVID-19 era, Tigerair posted a new high of NT$1.53 billion in net profit in the first half of this year, with earnings per share at NT$3.42, also a record high.
Its consolidated sales hit a record high of NT$8.21 billion in the six month period, up 50.1 percent from a year earlier.
Currently, Tigerair runs flights to 27 destinations countries in the region, including Japan, South Korea, Macau, Thailand and Vietnam.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS