China Airlines (CAL) expects to break the 1-million-passenger milestone on its Bangkok-Taipei route this year.
That represents over 40% growth from last year, which saw the flag carrier and largest airline of Taiwan carry 500,000 passengers from Taipei to Bangkok, and 200,000 on the return route.
CAL is on course to transport 670,000 passengers from Taipei to Bangkok and 330,000 from Bangkok to Taipei this year, chairman Ho Nuan Hsuan told the Bangkok Post.
Cashing in on the fast-growing travel demand between both countries, particularly for leisure, CAL aims for minimum passenger volume growth of 10% for the city pair next year.
CAL, which celebrates its 50th anniversary for the Bangkok-Taipei connection this month, is one of the airlines poised to benefit from the swelling ranks of Thai travellers.
Thai visitors to Taiwan this year shot up to 200,000 and are likely to reach 380,000 by year-end, up from nearly 200,000 last year, reported the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB).
"Thailand is expected to become our largest source market in Asean next year, overtaking Malaysia," said Tony Wu, director of the Asean region for TTB.
CAL planners forecast a doubling of Thai tourists arrivals to Taipei next year. That uptick has primarily been fuelled by the visa waiver programme for Thai visitors that was started in August 2016.
Mr Ho said CAL will significantly step up marketing efforts, strengthen online ticket sales and boost the airline's appeal to ramp up passenger volumes between the Thai and Taiwanese capitals.
CAL operates 28 flights per week between the two cities on various types of aircraft: Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777, Boeing 737-800 and Airbus 350.
The airline early this month debuted the A350 on one of its Bangkok-Taipei flights.
CAL intends to upgrade more existing flights for the city pair with the new generation of widebody jet starting at the end of March next year.
CAL has the largest market share in Bangkok-Taipei passenger traffic, with more than half of the total volume.
According to CAL officials, 80% of its passengers on the Bangkok-Taipei route are business travellers, mostly Taiwanese.
Other airlines plying the route non-stop include Thai Airways, EVA Air, NokScoot and Tiger Taiwan.
No-frills Thai Lion Air is joining the group with the launch of regular daily flights on Friday using the Boeing 737-800 and 737-900ER series.
Mr Ho said CAL wants to boost flight frequencies on the Bangkok-Taipei route, but that plan has been impeded by the lack of slots at Bangkok's highly-congested Suvarnabhumi airport.
"It has been our intention to ramp up services on the route, but it is very difficult to get the slots at Suvarnabhumi," he said.
To achieve its business goal in Thailand, the airline's chairman said it is concentrating on offering improved services.