Analysis: New Taiwan-Europe Pacts Open Door For Growth
Capacity between Taiwan and Europe has been steadily expanding in recent years, and new air service agreements with Finland and Italy could provide further momentum for growth.
Capacity between Taiwan and Europe has been steadily expanding in recent years, and new air service agreements with Finland and Italy could provide further momentum for growth.
Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration has signed separate agreements with both countries, enhancing market access for airlines and opening the potential for new routes.
The Taiwan-Finland agreement marks Taiwan’s first aviation services pact with a Nordic country. Under the terms, both Taiwan and Finland can designate multiple airlines to operate 14X-weekly passenger and cargo flights, with fifth-freedom rights allowing stopovers in intermediate cities.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has also expanded its air service agreement with Italy, revising an existing deal first signed in 2015. The amendment increases passenger capacity from seven to 19X-weekly flights, adding Venice as a new destination alongside existing services to Rome and Milan. Cargo flights will remain at three per week, but the agreement now allows 2X-weekly fifth-freedom rights for air cargo operators.
According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, Taiwan-Europe seat capacity is projected to reach nearly 1.1 million two-way seats for the summer 2025 season, reflecting a 1.7% year-on-year increase and a 6.6% rise compared to summer 2019 levels. Turkey has 20.5% of this capacity, followed by Germany (18.5%) and France (13%).
Taiwanese carriers China Airlines and EVA Air dominate the Taiwan-Europe market, accounting for 42.2% and 31.3% of total available seats for the upcoming summer 2025 season, respectively. Turkish Airlines holds 20.5%, and KLM has a 6% share. Air France was also present in the market prior to the pandemic—reviving its Paris-Taipei service in 2018 after an absence of two decades—but the route was last operated in March 2020.
Sabre Market Intelligence figures show that O&D traffic between Taiwan and Europe totaled 1.47 million two-way passengers in 2024, marking a rise of 20% on the previous 12 months. Taipei-Paris was the largest city pair, followed by Taipei-Istanbul and Taipei-London.
Traffic between Taiwan and Italy reached 157,000 two-way passengers in 2024, up 14% year-on-year, while the unserved Taiwan-Finland market saw 24,600 passengers, a 72% increase compared to 2023.
Taiwanese airlines already have a presence in the Italy market, with China Airlines operating 3X-weekly flights to Rome and EVA Air flying four times per week to Milan. Demand remains strong—average passenger load factors on these routes reached 81% in 2024, highlighting sustained interest in travel between the two countries.
