Japan Transocean Air (JTA) launched its Okinawa/Naha–Taipei/Taoyuan route on February 3. This is the airline’s first regularly scheduled international route, operated once daily round-trip.
According to the schedule, flight NU301 departs Okinawa/Naha at 8:00 a.m. and arrives at Taipei/Taoyuan at 8:45 a.m. The return flight, NU302, departs Taipei/Taoyuan at 10:00 a.m. and arrives at Okinawa/Naha at 12:30 p.m. Flight time is 1 hour 45 minutes from Okinawa/Naha, and 1 hour 30 minutes from Taipei/Taoyuan.
The aircraft used is the Boeing 737-800, the same type as on JTA’s domestic routes. Class J is sold as premium economy class, and standard class seats are sold as economy class. Light meals are served in premium economy class, and snacks and sweets are served in economy class. Free in-flight Wi-Fi is available in all classes. Premium economy class passengers and those eligible to use lounges on Japan Airlines (JAL) operated flights can use the shared “Ryu-rin” lounge at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan, and China Airlines’ “Mei-Yuan” lounge at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
At the ceremony held at Naha Airport, JTA President Nozomi Noguchi, who gave a greeting, said that the airline had been considering launching international flights for about 10 years. Reflecting on the process, he commented, “We spent a lot of time and effort building the necessary framework, including overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, and gained experience through charter operations before finally being able to launch the route. I feel a sense of accomplishment.”
Cabin crew members wearing successive generations of uniforms, from the first uniform adopted in 1967 by JTA’s predecessor Southwest Air Lines to the current seventh-generation uniform, took part in the ceremony, welcoming passengers on the inaugural flight and handing out commemorative gifts. The inaugural flight was operated by the third “Jinbei Jet,” introduced on January 19, named “Yui Jinbei” (aircraft registration: JA07RK), featuring a whale shark livery, and all 165 seats were filled. The aircraft pushed back from spot number 41 at 8:10 a.m. and took off from Runway A at 8:23 a.m. According to JTA, the return flight NU302 departing from Taipei is also expected to be fully booked.
According to JTA, Taipei is located about 630 kilometers from Naha, making it geographically close, and historical ties between Okinawa, Japan and Taiwan are deep. For these reasons, Taipei was chosen as the airline’s first international destination. Amid a shrinking domestic market, JTA aims to expand its business domain by capturing the growing inbound travel demand to Japan, driven in part by the weaker yen. Regarding future international expansion, President Noguchi said, “The Taipei route is our first step. We will first ensure stable operations on this route, and then consider further developments.”
■ Timetable
NU301 Okinawa/Naha (08:00) – Taipei/Taoyuan (08:45)
NU302 Taipei/Taoyuan (10:00) – Okinawa/Naha (12:30)
AloJapan.com