President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) vision of a “golden aviation circle in Northeast Asia” is one step closer to reality as direct flights between Taipei International Airport (Songshan) and Gimpo Airport in Seoul, South Korea, are set to debut today.
China Airlines will operate the first flight from Taiwan on the route. It is scheduled to depart at 9:25am today. From Gimpo, a flight operated by South Korea’s T’way Airlines will leave at 11am. Both carriers will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Until now, travelers heading to downtown Seoul needed to spend an extra hour on the road after they arrive at Incheon International Airport, the main international airport in Seoul. Traveling time will be reduced by 20 to 30 minutes if they land at Gimpo Airport.
Photo: CNA
Ma’s vision, announced while campaigning for the 2008 presidential election, also called for direct flights from Songshan to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport as well as to Tokyo Haneda Airport. Like Gimpo, Hongqiao and Haneda are closer to the centers of Shanghai and Tokyo when compared with the main airports in those cities.
Flights to Hongqiao began in June 2010 and to Haneda four months later.
Taiwan and South Korea did not reach an agreement on the Songshan-Gimpo route until last year. Both sides agreed to two flights per day at the initial stage of the route’s operation.
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Director-General Yin Cheng-pong (尹承蓬) said Taiwan and South Korea also agreed to talk about raising the number of Songshan-Gimpo flights at the end of this year.
Some carriers have asked the CAA to increase direct flights to Hongqiao because demand has already outpaced supply.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.