Airline to bring back direct flights to Guam

BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff

It’s a start — a direct flight between Taiwan and Guam after years of connections via Japan or the Philippines.

But the China Airlines flights have a start and end date — at least for the time being.

According to an announcement made by Director General Chia Ping Liu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam, China Airlines direct flights on the Taipei-Guam route will start from Nov. 28 and continue to Feb. 1, 2025.

Speaking at a packed celebration of the 113th National Day on Oct. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Guam, the director general said, the flights would be “just in time for Christmas, New Year and the Chinese New Year holidays.”

(From left) Chia-Ping Liu, director general, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and Peng-Yu (Bruce) Chen, general manager, China Airlines. Liu spoke at the 113th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) reception and announced that a direct flight between Guam and Taiwan will be returning. Photo by Skyler Obispo.

Peng-Yu (Bruce) Chen, general manager of China Airlines in Guam joined the director general on the stage for the announcement, which was recognized with applause.

Chinese New Year 2025 — the Year of the Snake — will fall on Jan. 29 but is typically celebrated for about seven days.

According to Journal files, two Starlux charter flights flew from Taipei to Guam in February 2023. The flights were full, with about 177 seats each. The charter flights operated by Starlux arrived Feb. 6 and Feb. 10 and offered a four-night Chinese New Year package to Guam, the Guam Visitors Bureau said at the time.

Starlux originally planned further flights and talked of opening an office in Guam, but those plans ceased when Typhoon Mawar devastated Guam in May 2023.

Dignitaries attending the event included Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Speaker Therese M. Terlaje, and James C. Moylan, Guam’s delegate to Congress.

Palacios said to Chen, “You need to visit me in Saipan.”

Palacios led an official delegation, including the leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Northern Mariana Islands, to Taiwan from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, 2023, according to Journal files.

EVA Air ended its twice-weekly direct flights between Taipei and Guam in June 2017. China Airlines ceased scheduled flights to Guam in March 2020, as the island closed its borders.

China Airlines retains its signatory status at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam. EVA Air flew charters to Guam in 2021, during GVB’s Air V&V (vaccination and vacation) program.

For further background on this story, see: Taiwan charters to Guam the first direct flights in months. mbj

Letter to the Editor: THREE WEEKS OF PURPOSE: A Brief but Meaningful Chapter at Guam Community College

Some opportunities arrive only once, asking little more than a willingness to serve. My brief appointment as President of Guam Community College was one of those opportunities. Although my tenure lasted only three weeks, I accepted the responsibility with the same commitment I have brought to every leadership role throughout my career. I intended to listen carefully, learn quickly, and contribute wherever I could.

Airline to bring back direct flights to Guam