The Civil Aviation Administration on Monday said that it has asked local airlines to study the feasibility of allowing passengers to carry small pets on board, after more than 5,000 people supported a petition on the Public Policy Online Participation Network Platform in June.
The person who made the proposition online in April said that the government should quickly amend the Regulations of Animal Transportation (動物運送管理辦法) to let passengers travel with their pets in the cabin.
The amendment should also stipulate that cargo cabins that are used to carry animals must have a temperature control system, proper ventilation and emergency veterinarian care, they said.
They also requested a three-way meeting among the government, airlines and pet owners to discuss solutions, adding that airlines should consider offering pet-friendly flights.
As the proposition was endorsed by more than 5,300 people in June, it met the criteria for a valid proposal and the administration is obligated to respond within two months.
“We invited the person who made the proposition as well as representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and domestic airlines to discuss possible solutions on Aug. 15. Representatives from different organizations fully understood the person’s concerns for the safety of pet transportation and pet owners’ rights,” the civil aviation authority said in a statement.
However, airlines must still evaluate the proposal in terms of flight safety, comfort and safety of pets, and other passengers’ perception, the agency said.
Article 17 of Regulations of Animal Transportation authorizes domestic airlines to transport animals based on international transport agreements and rules set by the countries that import animals, the CAA said.
The International Air Transportation Association has regulations about the transportation of live animals, which airlines can follow, the agency said.
“We have asked Taiwanese airlines to consider requests from all parties, including those from passengers traveling with pets. They should also evaluate pet-friendly measures that are practiced by international flight carriers. Hopefully, passengers traveling with their pets can have diverse flight options,” it said.
Among airlines that offer international flight services in Taiwan, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Korean Air allow passengers to bring their pets in passenger cabins.
On flights offered by United and KLM, only cats or dogs are allowed in passenger cabins.
In addition to dogs and cats, birds are also allowed on board on Delta Air Lines, Turkish Airlines and Korean Air flights.
However, all airlines require pets carried on board to be small and placed in pet containers.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
China is attempting to subsume Taiwanese culture under Chinese culture by promulgating legislation on preserving documents on ties between the Minnan region and Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said yesterday. China on Tuesday enforced the Fujian Province Minnan and Taiwan Document Protection Act to counter Taiwanese cultural independence with historical evidence that would root out misleading claims, Chinese-language media outlet Straits Today reported yesterday. The act is “China’s first ad hoc local regulations in the cultural field that involve Taiwan and is a concrete step toward implementing the integrated development demonstration zone,” Fujian Provincial Archives deputy director Ma Jun-fan (馬俊凡) said. The documents