Cross-strait flight passengers have declined by about 70,000 since May, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday, adding that Taichung airport has suffered the most from the significant decline in cross-strait flights.
The news came after Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) last week said that the number of Chinese tourists had dropped by about 15 percent overall since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government took office in May.
Meanwhile, some airlines in Taiwan and China have reduced cross-strait flights because of the decline in passengers, particularly those on flights departing from or landing in second or third-tier cities in China.
The administration said that Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is the only facility in the nation that has not not seen a decline in cross-strait passengers.
Taichung’s Ching Chuan Gang Airport saw a decrease in cross-strait passengers of about 12 percent since May, which was the largest among all airports.
Many airlines have kept cross-strait services available using smaller aircraft, the administration said, adding that more flights could be cut if the decline in Chinese tourists continues.
In other news, the administration is encouraging airlines to offer services to Brunei after the government announced that it would begin a visa-waiver program for tourists from Thailand or Brunei.
The project is part of the government’s “new southbound policy,” in which the government seeks closer ties with ASEAN members.
The nation has an open-skies agreement with Thailand.
The aviation pact with Brunei was signed in 1991 and amended in 2001.
Information from the CAA showed that Royal Brunei Airlines offered flights to Taiwan from 2000 to 2004, but withdrew from the market after the SARS outbreak in 2003.
As there are no direct flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Brunei International Airport, people traveling to Brunei must transit in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.
In addition to Thailand, Taiwan also has open-skies agreements with Singapore and Malaysia.
The government has also signed aviation agreements with other ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all