TAIPEI, Taiwan (Office of the Guam Governor) — High-ranking officers of a full-service boutique airline that sold out charter flights to Guam in 2025 and 2026 sat down with Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero in Taipei to discuss continuing charter service, with an eye toward a possible transition to regularly scheduled service between the Taiwan capital and Guam.
Starlux Airlines currently operates routes to Northeast and Southeast Asia and North America. Guam has maintained a strong load factor on direct routes to and from Taiwan, and this proven market demand may bode well for regularly scheduled service in the future.
“Taiwan is a growing market for Guam,” said Governor Leon Guerrero. “Our close working relationship with TECO, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office, is paying off not only in the tourism space but, as we’ve seen over the course of the past week, in areas as diverse as hydroponic farming, health, education, and renewables.”
The Guam delegation also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Lin Chia-lung, a friend of Guam who is committed to increasing air connectivity between Taiwan and Guam. Key travel agents and tour operators who sat in on meetings are also supportive of the effort and expressed a willingness to work closely with Guam to make it a reality.
“I believe the strategy of charter flights first and then adding regularly scheduled service is a viable approach to long-term increased air connectivity,” said Governor Leon Guerrero, “and it is encouraging to see key players agree with us.”
The U.S.-educated Lin (PhD, Political Science, Yale) has also served as the nation’s Minister of Transportation and Communications and Secretary General to the President, and figures prominently in the nation’s political and policy arenas.
“The opportunity to sit down with Minister Lin to brief him on the many meetings we’ve had with both private and public sector officials over the course of this mission was of immense value,” the Governor stated.
“He showed his appreciation for Guam’s historical ties to Taiwan and noted that we are the closest U.S. soil to his country and all of Asia. He understands there are benefits that can accrue to his nation, our island, and the Indo-Pacific region from strengthened economic, trade, and investment ties,” Leon Guerrero concluded.
The delegation also met with Hsiao-lun Fan, the Chief Executive Officer of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation. Taoyuan is Taiwan’s largest airport and the home hub for Starlux, as well as China Airlines and EVA Air. Discussions with CEO Fan centered in part on the eventual execution of a sister-airport relationship with A.B. Won Pat International.
Last week, a sister-city relationship was inked between Guam and the City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s third-largest metropolis and home to its largest seaport. That agreement also included support for increased air connectivity, and its signing garnered significant media coverage in the city of nearly 3 million people.
