Cross-strait weekend charter flights, suffering from a decreased number of flight destinations, are “barely satisfactory,” Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Director-General Lee Long-wen (李龍文) said yesterday.
Over the past 14 weeks since the charter flight services were launched, combined passenger trips on Taiwanese and Chinese carriers have reached approximately 200,000, with the passenger load factor averaging 84.8 percent, Lee said.
Taiwanese carriers are now operating flights from only two of Taiwan’s airports.
Lee made the remarks during a Transportation Committee question-and-answer session at the legislature yesterday morning.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) said that she believed the performance of the weekend cross-strait charter flights deserved a rating of only 25 on a 100-point scale, because of the reduction in the number of flight destinations.
Refusing to rate the performance of the service, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Oliver Yu (游芳來) said the performance was “acceptable” because it meets demand.
Flight operations break even on a passenger load factor of 65 percent and the average passenger load factor has exceeded that level, Yu said.
Under an agreement reached between Taiwan and China in June in Beijing, five Chinese cities and eight Taiwanese destinations were opened to the non-stop weekend cross-strait charter flight services that were launched on July 4.
The locations were Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Nanjing in China, and Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei, Penghu, Hualien, Kinmen and Taitung in Taiwan.
While five Taiwanese airlines companies provided flights from Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Penghu and Hualien during the first month, flights have been limited to Taipei and Kaohsiung since August.
STRATEGY
Meanwhile, the government and the private sector are joining forces to develop the tourism industry by employing a series of incentives and integrating policies to promote Taiwan as “Asia’s finest tourist destination,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said yesterday.
Speaking at the 69th Skal World Congress — an annual convention of professionals from the international travel and tourism industry — Mao said Taiwan offers the most unique and friendly traveling experience.
The government launched a “Tour Taiwan 2008-2009” program on Feb. 15 with an injection of NT$1 billion (US$31.25 million) in the tourism industry, with a goal of 4 million tourists this year and 4.25 million next year.
“We are trying to establish a high quality and unique tourism brand to make Taiwan Asia’s finest tourist destination,” Mao said.
“Our goal is not only to attract more tourists but also to increase their level of satisfaction and desire to visit Taiwan again,” Mao said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS