China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said that they would add more flights between Taipei and Manila today to help about 1,000 passengers left stranded by flight cancelations due to a volcanic eruption in the Philippines on Sunday.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila suspended flights from Sunday evening to noon yesterday after Taal volcano erupted, spewing lava and ash.
CAL yesterday canceled four flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Manila, while EVA canceled six flights on Sunday and yesterday.
The number of affected passengers was estimated to be at least 1,000, the airlines said.
“In addition to the Manila airport’s suspension, we had to cancel our flights, as volcanic ash would endanger our jets. Ash parcels, ejected into the atmosphere by the eruption, could abrade the engines and even lead to their shutdown,” EVA spokesman David Chen (陳耀銘) said by telephone.
The airline has been monitoring the ash particles and would avoid them when resuming the flights to and from Manila, Chen said.
EVA received approval from Taiwanese and Philippine regulators to add two more flights yesterday evening, while it is still waiting for an approval from the Philippine government to add two more flights this morning, Chen said.
CAL would also add two flights this morning for its passengers, it said in a statement.
Separately, CAL’s revenue for last year declined 1.44 percent annually to NT$168.39 billion (US$5.62 billion), while EVA’s revenue edged up 0.76 percent to NT$181.27 billion.
CAL attributed the sluggish passenger numbers to fewer Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, while its cargo business was affected by weaker demand amid the US-China trade tensions.
EVA said its nearly flattish performance was affected by a flight attendants’ strike in June and July that led to the canceling of 469 round-trip flights and a loss of NT$2.11 billion in revenue.
ANTI-SHIP CONFIGURATION: The Tuo Chiang-class vessels are to be built for NT$9.7 billion by Lung Teh, a shipyard that previously built four similar corvettes for the navy The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday awarded Lung Teh Shipbuilding (龍德造船) a NT$9.7 billion Co (US$317.57 million) contract to build five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes with anti-ship capabilities, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The corvettes would carry vertical launchers for four Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) missiles, as well as eight Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, in contrast to ships configured for anti-air warfare, which carry eight HF-2 and four HF-3 missiles, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The anti-ship corvettes would be armed for improved standoff range against surface combatants and carry the latest
PARTIAL SUPPORT: Morris Chang said he agrees with the US’ goal to slow advances of China’s chip sector, but US policies that might boost chip prices perplex him Washington’s efforts to on-shore semiconductor production might lead to surges in chip prices and supply bottlenecks, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) said yesterday. The 91-year-old industry veteran said he supports parts of Washington’s effort to slow China’s progress on advanced chip manufacturing. China is still six years behind Taiwan in making advanced chips, despite years-long efforts to catch up, Chang told a Commonwealth Magazine forum that he coheadlined with Tufts University assistant professor Chris Miller, an expert on the US-China rivalry’s effects on chip manufacturing. However, Chang said that other parts of the effort, particularly Washington’s on-shoring
NINE TYPES: One of the devices can be carried by a single soldier and can destroy high-value, high-risk vehicles as well as target personnel, an official said Taiwan’s top military research body yesterday unveiled nine domestically developed drones in Taichung, including a loitering munition, or “suicide drone,” similar to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300. The surveillance and attack drones shown to the media by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology included the Albatross medium-range uncrewed aerial vehicle Nos. 1 and 2, and the Teng Yun 2 and Cardinal 2 and 3 indigenous uncrewed combat aerial vehicles. The institute also unveiled a domestically made drone inspired by the AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which Ukrainian forces have employed in the country’s war with Russia. Aeronautical Systems Research Division head Chi Li-pin (齊立平)
‘WRONG DECISION’: Honduras should carefully consider the situation, and not fall into China’s trap and jeopardize the bilateral friendship, the foreign ministry said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it had expressed “grave concern” to the government of Honduras after Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday wrote on Twitter that it would pursue official diplomatic relations with China. In addition to issuing a statement, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) summoned Honduran Ambassador to Taiwan Harold Burgos to the ministry in Taipei early yesterday to voice the government’s concerns. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes and Burgos did not make any public comments upon arriving at the ministry. Burgos said shortly after noon that he had not yet heard from his country’s