The Ministry of Transportation and Communications could revoke Far Eastern Air Transport’s (FAT) license if it does not improve its operations, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
Lin made the remark on the sidelines of a railway project inspection in Taichung when asked how the ministry would handle the situation after the carrier unexpectedly announced on Dec. 12 that it would cease operations.
While FAT chairman Chang Kang-wei (張綱維) on Dec. 13 told a news conference that the airline would try to resume operations with funding of NT$1 billion (US$33.1 million), the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) has not lifted a suspension on its flights, despite receiving an official explanation from the firm.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei times
As of yesterday, the airline said that it had received requests to refund more than 170,000 unused tickets.
“The airline’s flight services have been suspended and would not resume before next month’s Lunar New Year holiday,” Lin said. “We have made contingency plans, including speaking with other domestic carriers about offering more flights for travelers heading home.”
“On Monday, we started the second domestic flight booking session, which is still accepting reservations. We aim to ensure people returning to Penghu and Kinmen counties will have no trouble getting home,” he said.
The Financial Supervisory Commission and CAA are to look into FAT’s financial situation, which lacks transparency, he added.
“From the ministry’s perspective, we care most about aviation safety issues, which are also linked to the airline’s financial situation. We hope that the airline can show that it is really working toward resuming fight services,” Lin said.
“So far, the funds that the company has pledged to raise are not there. It has neither shown what it would do to take care of its employees in a responsible manner, nor addressed aviation safety issues,” he said.
The CAA is still reviewing the airline’s explanation, Lin said, adding that the most severe punishment would be for the administration to revoke FAT’s air operator certificate.
The airline should take full responsibility for what has happened to travelers, as well as its employees, regardless of what the consequences might be, he added.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS