Tigerair Taiwan yesterday said that on June 7 it would launch direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Puerto Princesa International Airport on Palawan Island in the Philippines.
This would be the budget airline’s third direct service to the Southeast Asian nation, following a direct service to Kalibo International Airport on Boracay Island launched on Tuesday last week and another to Mactan Cebu International Airport in Cebu that began at the end of last year.
Palawan is between Mindoro Island and Malaysia’s North Borneo.
It is reputed to be the last pristine land in the Philippines and has attracted visitors and scuba divers from around the world with its diverse fauna and flora, the airline said.
Puerto Princesa International Airport offers a convenient transport service for people to access the tourist attractions around the island, it said.
The airline said three flights would depart from Taoyuan every week, leaving at 1:15pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while return flights would leave from Puerto Princesa at 5:05pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
To celebrate the launch of the new service, the airline said that it will offer a limited number of discount tickets, with a one-way ticket costing NT$399 before tax.
The discount tickets would be available to book between 10am tomorrow and 11:59pm on Thursday, the airline said, adding that people purchasing the tickets must travel between June 7 and Oct. 18.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in