The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has yet to respond to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ (MOTC) proposal to open flights to six more Chinese cities, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
The nation only allows cross-strait flights to and from Shanghai, Xiamen, Beijing and Chengdu, and maintains cargo flights to 10 Chinese cities.
Due to the restrictions on the number of cross-strait flights, China Airlines and EVA Air have said that their transport capacities can no longer meet demand after China resumed work following the end of massive lockdowns, which consequently raised its export and import volumes.
The ministry early last month proposed adding Shenzhen, Chongqing, Qingdao, Ningbo, Guangzhou and Changsha to the list of cross-strait destinations.
Flights to those cities could carry passengers as well as cargo, the ministry said.
Not only would the move help raise the airlines’ cargo transport capacity, it would help reduce their financial losses after their operations have been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.
However, the ministry has yet to hear any response to its proposal, it said.
“Cross-strait cargo flights that are being operated at the moment generate revenue for the airlines. Regarding further expansion of cross-strait flight services, the ministry, the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the airlines have jointly conducted evaluations. However, disease prevention should still be the nation’s top priority and we would follow the CECC’s policy,” Lin said.
In other news, Lin said he would let Chunghwa Post decide whether to have its employees work extra hours on Saturday next week to facilitate the distribution of Triple Stimulus Vouchers.
The postal company had estimated that crowds would be a problem in the first two weeks following the release of the vouchers on Wednesday last week.
It has said that 1,296 post offices nationwide would remain open on two consecutive Saturdays — July 18 and 25 — to ease the crowds.
However, the company’s statistics showed that about 3.3 million people have claimed their vouchers between Wednesday and Saturday.
“The postal company would evaluate if it is necessary to have all its employees work on Saturday [next week] for a third time. We would ask it to make sure that the workers get paid overtime, according to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法),” Lin said.
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