Highlights

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will add its first nonstop flights to Asia, with two Taiwan-based carriers set to begin service within months of each other, a development that opens a direct Pacific corridor for Arizona's business and investor class for the first time.

STARLUX Airlines will operate nonstop service between Sky Harbor and Taipei's Taoyuan Airport beginning in early 2026, flying three to four times per week, according to the airport's official announcement. The route is pending final government approvals in Taipei. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced the new service in May 2025.

China Airlines moves first on the corridor. According to Simple Flying, the carrier launches nonstop Phoenix-Taipei service on December 3, 2025, operating three times weekly on Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The outbound flight, designated CI036, covers the route in 12 hours and 5 minutes; the return leg, CI035, runs 15 hours and 20 minutes. China Airlines President Kevin Chen traveled to Phoenix on September 18 to meet with Mayor Gallego and mark the announcement. Phoenix will be the carrier's seventh North American destination, bringing its total nonstop North American routes to 40.

For Scottsdale and Paradise Valley residents with business or family ties to Taiwan, the routes eliminate a connecting stop that has historically routed Arizona travelers through Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle. Direct access to Taoyuan also positions Phoenix as a more competitive gateway for Taiwanese capital flows into the Southwest commercial real estate and technology markets.

ABC15 confirmed the STARLUX route details, noting the service marks the first nonstop flight to Asia for both Sky Harbor and the state of Arizona. STARLUX's launch timeline is subject to final regulatory clearance from Taipei authorities.

China Airlines service begins December 3, 2025; STARLUX's early-2026 start date is expected to be confirmed once government approvals are finalized.

Sources

Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.

  1. skyharbor.com retrieved 09/05/2026 07:52
  2. simpleflying.com retrieved 09/05/2026 07:52
  3. ABC15 Arizona retrieved 09/05/2026 07:52

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 09/05/2026 07:52. Every claim traces to a source.