With Emirates Airline launching a new flight between Taipei and Dubai next month, Emirates Group is looking at opening a halal restaurant at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The airport currently has two halal restaurants — the Middle East Halal Kitchen operated by Hsin Tung Yang Group in Terminal One, and Dennis Deli, operated by Dachan Group in Terminal Two.
Taoyuan airport official Chen Chih-chia (陳志嘉) said that due to the relatively low number of Muslim travelers, both restaurants are fairing poorly.
Despite the group’s interest, contracts for retail outlets are not due to come to term until August 2018, Chen said, adding that if the group wished to run a restaurant business on the premises, it would either have to attend the next open bid for duty-free shops, or negotiate a partnership with food companies Hsin Tung Yang or Dachan.
Chen said that Emirates Airline declined to switch its counter to Terminal Two, which would facilitate boarding once it completes the switch-over of airliners from the B777 aircraft to the A380 it intends to use.
The distance from the check-in counter at Terminal One to the boarding area at Terminal Two is about 2km, Chen said.
Emirates Airline has had a counter at Terminal One since it began doing business in Taiwan, and the terminal has become the airline’s “home” as well as holding significant symbolic value, the airline said.
Chen said there was a difficulty providing Muslim passengers with halal food near the boarding area at Terminal Two, adding that the airport planned a temporary fix using catering cars to provide food for those with special needs.
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