The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said that it has prepared for the worst-case scenario in its plans to help Taiwanese return home from China for the Lunar New Year holiday, after the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) denied requests for additional cross-strait flights.
The CAA denied requests made earlier this month by XiamenAir (廈門航空) and China Eastern Airlines (中國東方航空) for 176 additional flights during the holiday, citing potential safety risks generated by their use of the northbound M503 aviation route and three other extensions.
The two airlines had defied the CAA’s repeated warnings not to use the northbound M503 route, as well as the W121, W122 and W123 extensions before Taiwan and China engage in communication over the technical issues involved.
Photo: Chen Yi-chia, Taipei Times
Beijing has yet to express any intention to communicate with Taiwan on the use of the four routes, the ministry said.
Department of Navigation and Aviation Director-General Chen Chin-sheng (陳進生) said that the additional flights requested by the two airlines are for eight Chinese cities — Shanghai, Wuxi, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Hefei, Fuzhou and Changsha.
As services to and from these cities are offered by other Chinese and Taiwanese carriers, passengers could switch from the rejected airlines, Chen said.
The other strategy would be to ask passengers to board flights departing from other airports near these cities, he said.
“They can also fly to Xiamen and return home via the ‘small three links’ between Xiamen and Kinmen, he said.
People using the “small three links” can travel by ferry between Kinmen and Xiamen and then fly from Kinmen Airport to Taiwan proper.
Apart from flying to Xiamen, travelers could also fly to Hong Kong and Macau, then transfer to flights to Taiwan, Chen said.
China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) has applied for nine extra cross-strait flights — six to Hefei, two to Shanghai and one to Wuxi, Chen said.
EVA Air Corp (長榮航空) has been asked to use larger aircraft to accommodate more cross-strait passengers, he said.
However, China has yet to approve China Airlines’ request for additional flights, he said.
“The worst-case scenario would be that the requests for additional flights by XiamenAir and China Eastern Airlines would continue to be denied,” Chen said.
“In that case, we estimate that the peak hours of holiday travel at the ‘small three links’ would occur on Feb. 13, when 3,110 passengers are expected to access the service,” he said.
The ministry plans to add additional flights and ferry services between Kinmen and Taiwan proper, Chen said, adding that it would ask the Ministry of National Defense to dispatch military aircraft if necessary.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that the additional flights would be available from Friday until March 2.
No other Chinese airlines have made requests for more flights during the holiday, he said.
“It is still possible that we can approve the cross-strait flights [requested by XiamenAir and China Eastern Airlines] before the holiday begins if Beijing expresses goodwill and is willing to communicate with us,” Wang said.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS