Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is emphasizing the “international” in its name.
The first nonstop air service between PHX and Asia began Dec. 3 when China Airlines inaugurated flights to PHX from Taipei, Taiwan with a gathering of dignitaries and a ribbon-cutting to mark the historic service.
China Airlines is flying to Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taipei, Taiwan three days a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) on an Airbus 350-900 aircraft with a capacity of 306.
The international route growth doesn’t stop there, though. Taiwan-based STARLUX Airlines is expanding its North American network by adding nonstop service to Taipei from Phoenix beginning Jan. 15, 2026. This Phoenix-Taipei route will be served by the new-generation Airbus 350, with flights Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and adding Saturdays in March.
STARLUX is pointing to strong tourism and business demand, specifically in Phoenix’s tech sector, as reason to expand and strengthen its hub network between Asia and North America.
The appeal of nonstop service to Asia is the elimination of lengthy layovers in Los Angeles or other West Coast hubs. Phoenix is also a gateway in its own right to the Southwest, where tourist destinations and sunshine year-round blend with a growing reputation for technical innovation offering an inviting destination for inbound travelers from Asia.
With all the attention paid to Asia, it’s easy to overlook the other international flights that were launched. Aeromexico came back to PHX with service to Mexico City, and Air France increased its Phoenix-to-Paris route to five flights per week.
Porter Airlines also started offering its first daily nonstop transborder service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Phoenix with seasonal service, marking the airline’s first-ever route from Vancouver to the United States. Porter will also begin service three times a week from Ottawa, Ontario, to Phoenix from Feb. 7 through April 18, representing Porter’s first flights between Ottawa and PHX.
Domestic routes also had a banner year at PHX, with several major carriers bolstering their air service offerings.
American Airlines added twice-daily service to McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California, and began nonstop Saturday service to Appleton, Wisconsin. The airline offered new service to Little Rock, Arkansas and launched year-round, twice-daily flights to Santa Maria, California, offering those residents their first nonstop flight to Phoenix.
American operated daily seasonal flights between Phoenix and Fort Myers, Florida, and Sun Valley, Idaho, while adding new daily service to Fort Lauderdale and increased frequencies to Tampa Bay and Miami.
Frontier Airlines got in on the action with twice-weekly service to Austin-Bergstrom in March and introduced three weekly flights to Seattle Paine Field in June. Growth continued into the fall with new three-times-weekly service to San Antonio that began in October, and new twice-weekly flights to Reno and Spokane in November.
Allegiant Air, Southwest Airlines, and Alaska Airlines also bolstered their service new or reinstated routes to make this a record year for the most offered at PHX.
For more on these destinations and all the cities available to travel to from Phoenix, visit https://www.skyharbor.com/flights/where-we-fly/.