China Airlines and Japan Airlines today signed a memorandum of understanding to expand their strategic cooperation on cargo and passenger transportation.

Due to the popularity of Japan as a travel destination among Taiwanese people, as a first step, Japan Airlines and China Airlines have agreed to strengthen the current cooperation by expanding the code-sharing agreement to cover all routes operated by both airlines between Japan and Taiwan from the second half of February 2017.

“The new memorandum with China Airlines is an important milestone in further enhancing partnership between the two airlines to provide customers better access to the destinations between Japan and Taiwan,” said Hideki Oshima, JAL executive officer, international relations and alliances.

The total number of code-share flights will expand from 28 weekly flights on the Tokyo (Haneda)-Taipei (Songshan) route to 240 flights a week at the most (the number varies depending on seasonal schedules).

“The improved flexibility and convenience will enhance the integration of China Airlines and Japan Airlines’ respective networks,” said Steve Chang, senior vice president of China Airlines.