TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tigerair Taiwan launched two new routes between southern Taiwan and Kumamoto on Tuesday.

The airline held ceremonies marking the inaugural flights for Kaohsiung–Kumamoto and Tainan–Kumamoto on Tuesday. Tigerair Taiwan Chair Huang Shih-hui (黃世惠) flew from Kaohsiung to Kumamoto to mark the occasion and was welcomed by Kumamoto Governor Kimura Takashi upon her arrival, according to Tigerair Taiwan. 

A ceremony was also held at Tainan Airport, attended by Tigerair Taiwan Chief Commercial Officer Hsu Chih-yuan (許致遠). 

The new routes symbolize Tigerair Taiwan’s strong flight network planning capabilities and its commitment to deepening its presence in the Japanese market, the airline said. This Tainan route is the airline's first direct international flight from the city, it added. Both routes will operate twice weekly.

Huang said the two routes significantly shorten the distance between southern Taiwan and Kyushu, offering flexible “dual-gateway” travel options via Kaohsiung and Tainan. Additionally, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. operating facilities in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Kumamoto, the new routes help form a Taiwan–Japan semiconductor technology corridor, opening a new chapter for industrial cooperation and exchanges.