Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday.
China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said.
The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsu, Taipei Times
The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa, with planned stops at Miyako Island, Naha and Ishigaki Island. It was set to return to Taiwan on Sunday.
However, technical issues disrupted the schedule, with the ship stranded in Naha on Okinawa’s main island. The stop at Ishigaki Island has been canceled.
Passengers who have made their own arrangements for transportation from Naha to a destination outside of Japan can claim compensation of up to US$400 and up to US$200 for domestic travel within Japan, the cruise operator said.
A separate trip of 2,080 passengers scheduled to board the MSC Bellissima in Keelung on Sunday has been canceled. The cruise operator said it has informed all those affected.
To compensate for the disruption, the operator promised full refunds to all affected passengers.
It would also provide a voucher worth up to 50 percent of the ticket value that is valid until Dec. 31 next year, it said.
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