Cross-strait flight passengers have declined by about 70,000 since May, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday, adding that Taichung airport has suffered the most from the significant decline in cross-strait flights.
The news came after Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) last week said that the number of Chinese tourists had dropped by about 15 percent overall since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government took office in May.
Meanwhile, some airlines in Taiwan and China have reduced cross-strait flights because of the decline in passengers, particularly those on flights departing from or landing in second or third-tier cities in China.
The administration said that Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is the only facility in the nation that has not not seen a decline in cross-strait passengers.
Taichung’s Ching Chuan Gang Airport saw a decrease in cross-strait passengers of about 12 percent since May, which was the largest among all airports.
Many airlines have kept cross-strait services available using smaller aircraft, the administration said, adding that more flights could be cut if the decline in Chinese tourists continues.
In other news, the administration is encouraging airlines to offer services to Brunei after the government announced that it would begin a visa-waiver program for tourists from Thailand or Brunei.
The project is part of the government’s “new southbound policy,” in which the government seeks closer ties with ASEAN members.
The nation has an open-skies agreement with Thailand.
The aviation pact with Brunei was signed in 1991 and amended in 2001.
Information from the CAA showed that Royal Brunei Airlines offered flights to Taiwan from 2000 to 2004, but withdrew from the market after the SARS outbreak in 2003.
As there are no direct flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Brunei International Airport, people traveling to Brunei must transit in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.
In addition to Thailand, Taiwan also has open-skies agreements with Singapore and Malaysia.
The government has also signed aviation agreements with other ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
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