Phoenix gets 1st Asian flights; 5 new airlines since 2024; American top carrier

Phoenix has made history by gaining its first scheduled non-stop passenger service to Asia. On 3 December, the airport welcomed China Airlines with a 3-weekly year-round service from Taipei. The Taiwanese capital was Phoenix’s largest Asian market.

On 15 January, two Asian airlines will fly to the Arizona airport, with the launch of STARLUX’s service from Taipei (3-weekly but later 4-weekly). From zero to two Asian passenger carriers in just over a month.

According to Cirium schedule information, Phoenix has 8.5 million one-way seats in Q1 2026 (January-March). Capacity has risen by 4% compared to the same three months in 2025. No other quarter has ever had so many available seats.

American only has 41% of Phoenix’s seats

Cirium shows that Phoenix is served by 25 passenger airlines (when combining regional units). Recent airline additions include Air France and Porter in 2024, Aeromexico and China Airlines in 2025, and Starlux in 2026. However, Condor and Lynx Air pulled out in 2024 (Lynx is now defunct).

American is, of course, Phoenix’s largest operator. Inherited from US Airways, it is American’s fifth-busiest hub, behind Dallas DFW, Charlotte, Miami and Chicago ORD. Its Phoenix capacity has grown by 8% year-over-year, with 108 routes in Q1.

American has 41% of Phoenix’s seats, which is far below the 70% required to be a fortress hub. This is because of Southwest, with the Arizona airport being its third-busiest airport of 119 facilities in its network in the first three months of 2026. It has 60 routes.

Denver is the top market

Based on having at least 500 one-way seats, Phoenix has non-stop flights to 149 airports in Q1. Unlike a year ago, Fort Myers, Ottawa, Santa Maria, Sun Valley and Taipei are now served. However, it has lost flights to Asheville and Stafford.

While the international market only accounts for 6% of seats, it has the second-highest capacity on record. Some 26 international airports in Canada, France, Mexico, Taiwan and the UK are served. Three long-haul routes exist: London LHR, Paris CDG and Taipei.

The domestic market accounts for 94% of its seats, involving 123 airports in 42 states. With 1.7 million one-way seats, California is by far the most-served state, with 21 airports having non-stop Phoenix flights.

With 421,000 one-way seats, Denver remains Phoenix’s leading market. Some 165-weekly one-way flights are available in mid-December, provided by Southwest (67), United (52), Frontier (25) and American (21).