Two airlines are to provide extra flights between Taipei and Taitung during next month’s Lunar New Year holiday to meet increased travel demand, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) said.
This year’s Lunar New Year holiday begins on Feb. 7.
Liu, who has discussed the matter with airlines over the past few days, said Uni Air will add an additional round-trip flight between the two cities on Feb. 6.
The flight will leave Taipei for Taitung at 6:50pm and leave Taitung on its way back to Taipei at 8:30pm, Liu said.
Mandarin Airlines will add a round-trip flight on Feb. 13 that will leave Taipei at 6:55pm and depart from Taitung on the return flight at 8:20pm, Liu said.
The two companies will begin accepting bookings for its flights during the Lunar New Year holiday at 9am today.
During the nine-day holiday, 84 ferry runs will be provided between Taitung and Green Island (綠島), which are expected to transport 24,804 people, the lawmaker said.
Another 18 ferry runs will be operated between Taitung and Orchid Island (蘭嶼, also known as Lanyu) and are expected to transport 4,206 people, he said.
In related news, Korean Air on Monday launched a direct flight between Busan, South Korea, and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The flight, to be operated daily, will take between two hours and 10 minutes and two hours and 45 minutes. It will leave Busan at 8:30am and depart on the return leg from Taoyuan airport at 11:15am every day but Wednesday, when the flight will depart 25 minutes earlier each way.
Korean Air is using a Boeing 737-800 twinjet narrow-body airliner on the route.
The aircraft has 12 business-class seats and 126 economy-class seats. Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea, on the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, is famous for Haeundae beach during the summer and the Busan International Film Festival.
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