The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) released a study yesterday that showed air routes to outlying islands saw an increase in passengers between January and October.
The biggest passenger increase was on the Chiayi-Kinmen route, which saw occupancy rates rise 35.3 percent compared to the same period last year, the study found.
SMALL THREE LINKS
Su Yuan-chiung (
She said that flights between Taitung and Green Island (綠島), as well as Kaohsiung to Wangan (望安) in Penghu County, are two other popular routes, with the passenger rates rising by 8.5 percent and 8 percent respectively.
HIGH SPEED RAIL
The survey was aimed at gauging the impact of the high speed rail -- which became operational in January -- on the airline industry.
The survey found the overall passenger rate on domestic flights decreased by about 25 percent this year.
The occupancy rate for the Taipei-Tainan route was down by 50 percent compared to the same period last year.
POPULARITY
The study showed that the Taipei-Kaohsiung route were still the most popular, with 14,179 flights between January and October.
Uni Air topped the lists for number of flights -- 37,000 -- and number of passengers -- 1.97 million.
Daily Air placed first for passenger occupancy rate.
Both the number of flights to the east coast and the number of passengers carried decreased this year, by 15.9 percent and 24.4 percent respectively, the study found.
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