Routes Insights: Sichuan Airlines, Starlux Airlines, Royal Jordanian

Sichuan Airlines, Starlux Airlines and Royal Jordanian are adding new intercontinental routes to and from the Asia-Pacific region over the coming months.

Chengdu-Madrid

Sichuan Airlines is set to expand its European network with the launch of nonstop flights between Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Madrid Adolfo Suárez-Barajas Airport, further strengthening the growing dominance of Chinese carriers on China-Europe routes.

The new service, scheduled to begin on April 27, will operate four times per week, making it the only direct link between Chengdu and the Spanish capital. According to OAG Schedules Analyser, Sichuan Airlines already serves four destinations in Europe from its Chengdu hub—Istanbul, Rome Fiumicino, Moscow Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg.

The Madrid route will be the ninth city accessible nonstop from Chengdu, complementing existing long-haul services by Air China (Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Milan Malpensa) and Hainan Airlines (Vienna).

Meanwhile, Madrid is continuing to strengthen its links with China, with Chengdu becoming the seventh Chinese city with nonstop flights to the Spanish capital. At present, Air China connects Madrid to Beijing Capital; Beijing Capital Airlines to Hangzhou; China Eastern Airlines to Shanghai Pudong and Wenzhou; and Hainan Airlines to Chongqing and Shenzhen.

Figures provided by Sabre Market Intelligence show that Madrid-Chengdu ranked as the 10th-largest Madrid-China city pair in 2024, with approximately 5,300 two-way O&D passengers. Meanwhile, Chengdu-Madrid was the sixth-largest Chengdu-Europe city pair last year.

The route reflects a broader trend of Chinese airlines expanding their European footprint while their European counterparts scale back operations to China. Over the past year, multiple new routes have been launched by Chinese carriers, taking advantage of Russia’s airspace restrictions on European airlines, which have significantly increased costs and flight times for European carriers.

Taipei-Ontario

Starlux Airlines is set to expand its Taiwan-U.S. network with the launch of nonstop flights between Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) and Ontario International Airport (ONT), marking its fourth destination in the U.S. and its second in the Los Angeles basin.

The new 4X-weekly service, starting June 2, will provide an alternative to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for travelers heading between Taiwan and Southern California.

The airline will deploy a 306-seat Airbus A350-900 on the 6,816-mi. (5,923-nm) sector, operating in a four-class configuration. With this addition, Starlux’s Taiwan-U.S. network will grow to 28X-weekly roundtrip flights by July, including 10X-weekly flights to LAX and daily service to San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA), according to OAG Schedules Analyser.

Starlux’s entry into Ontario positions it as the second carrier serving the TPE-ONT route, joining China Airlines, which operates daily flights using a mix of A350-900 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. China Airlines first launched the route in 2018, though it was suspended during the pandemic from March 2020 through June 2021.

The decision to serve Ontario International Airport reflects growing demand from the large Taiwanese community in Southern California. Census data from 2020 shows that 263,000 Taiwanese Americans reside in Southern California, with 167,000 in the Greater Los Angeles area alone. While Taipei-Los Angeles was the largest Taiwan-U.S. city pair in 2024, with 345,000 two-way O&D passengers, the Taipei-San Francisco and Taipei-New York routes also saw strong demand, with 281,000 and 169,000 passengers, respectively, according to Sabre Market Intelligence.

Amman-Mumbai

Royal Jordanian is set to return to India with a new nonstop service to Mumbai, marking its first scheduled route to the country in more than a decade.

The airline, which last served India in 2014, will launch flights between Amman and Mumbai starting April 17, running four times per week using A320neo aircraft in dual-class layout. A second route to New Delhi is scheduled to begin on Sept. 17.

Before its withdrawal from India in 2014, Royal Jordanian served Mumbai and New Delhi but struggled to sustain operations due to competitive pressures and market dynamics. However, the airline’s return comes at a time when demand for travel between India and the Middle East is rising, driven by strong economic ties, a growing expatriate workforce and increasing tourism flows.

The Jordan-India market, which currently lacks nonstop service, saw about 57,000 two-way O&D passengers in 2024, according to Sabre Market Intelligence data. Although this represented a drop of about 28% on 2023 levels, as traffic to and from Jordan was impacted by the Israel-Hamas war, Royal Jordanian will be hoping to capture a share of this indirect traffic and stimulate further growth in the market.