The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) yesterday said an MD83 aircraft from Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) completed a maintenance test on Saturday, adding that an airworthiness certificate for the aircraft could be issued as soon as this week after the administration has reviewed the data.
The news takes the carrier one step closer to resuming operations after being suspended in 2008.
The aircraft took off at 10:23am from Taipei International Airport (Songshan) on a two-hour test flight off the coast of Yilan County. It returned at 12:35pm.
The CAA said the airline must repair at least three of its aircraft and have them certified before it can resume operations. It must also raise at least NT$1.2 billion (US$40 million) before being allowed to resume domestic flights.
The airline said that it will conduct two more test flights over the next two months. If everything goes as planned, the company said that it could start offering services to Kinmen and Penghu before the Lunar New Year holiday, which will be in early February.
The operator said it hoped to launch cross-strait flights in June.
At present, the flights normally allocated to FAT have been filled by other airlines. Those would be handed back to FAT once it begins operations.
Civil Aeronautics Administration Director General Yin Chen-pong (尹承蓬) said that even if FAT’s aircraft were certified by the CAA, its financial plan would also have to be approved.
“We will allow FAT to resume operations only after we ascertain it has sufficient funds and will not compromise the interests of customers,” Yin said last week.
In related news, the CAA is scheduled to sit down with Chinese aviation authorities in Taipei next month to negotiate additional cross-strait flights during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Yin said Taiwanese carriers had proposed 120 additional flights, the majority of which will service Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou routes.
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