TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Starlux Airlines will resume daily flights to Manila from Dec. 16 after a hiatus of more than one year, reports said Thursday.

The airline already operates services to Cebu and Clark in the Philippines. Starlux described the flights to Manila as a key step in strengthening its position in the Southeast Asian market, Liberty Times reported.

Starlux CEO Chai Chien-hua (翟健華) said both business travelers and tourists would benefit from the new service, while visitors to the Philippines would have three destinations to choose from and more transit possibilities. The airline said it would continue to expand its network to boost trade, cultural, and tourism exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Chai added that travelers between the two nations benefit from 14-day visa waivers, while numerous Taiwanese businesses have established manufacturing plants in the Philippines. More than 160,000 people from the country have found employment in Taiwan, he added.

Starlux will schedule its daily flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Manila in the morning, with the return flight leaving around noon. The airline originally operated flights to the Philippine capital from 2021 until March 2024.