Thu, Oct 10, 2024 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  ECONOMY

  Taiwan 14th on rich list

  Taiwan ranked 14th among the world’s 100 wealthiest economies in terms of GDP per capita, Forbes magazine said in a report on Monday. With a GDP per capita of US$76,860, Taiwan sat one spot above Hong Kong’s US$75,130. The magazine’s list of the richest economies in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation’s wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries. Luxembourg topped this year’s rich list with a GDP per capita of US$143,740, followed by Macau with US$134,140, Ireland with US$133,900, Singapore with US$133,740 and Qatar with US$112,280. Rounding out the top 10 list are the United Arab Emirates (US$96,850), Switzerland (US$91,930), San Marino (US$86,990), the US (US$85,370) and Norway (US$82,830).

  AIRPORT

  Airshow may affect flights

  Flights in and out of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are to be suspended during three intervals of up to 14 minutes this morning to avoid conflicting with airshows during Double Ten National Day celebrations. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement yesterday that all arrivals and departures today would be suspended from 8:29am to 8:42am, 8:56am to 9:06am and 11:36am to 11:50am. The service suspensions, combined with the possibility that neighboring flight information regions would impose air traffic flow controls due to poor weather, might cause flight delays this morning, the airport operator said. People traveling to the airport to take a flight or pick up arriving friends or relatives are encouraged to check their flight’s status beforehand on the Taoyuan airport Web site, the company said. The main National Day celebration is to take place in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei from 9:05am to 11:40am. The event is to open with a flyover by Taiwan’s indigenous Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer aircraft and is to close with a performance by the air force’s Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team, the event program says.

  AIRLINES

  Hualien flights to resume

  Low-cost airline Hong Kong Express Airways on Tuesday said it would resume direct flights to Hualien County on Dec. 12. The carrier said it would offer four round-trip services each week, ending a six-year hiatus. Hualien would be the carrier’s fourth main destination in Taiwan — after Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung — bringing a total of 144 weekly flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan, the airline said in a statement. “Travelers can embark on a journey of discovery for the mind and body in a city exalted by natural beauty and vibrant culture in just two hours,” Hong Kong Express said of Hualien. The airline launched direct flights between the two destinations in 2016, with average occupancy rates exceeding 95 percent, the Hualien County Government said on Tuesday. However, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Hualien in 2018 led to a sharp decline in tourism demand, resulting in the airline suspending the route on Oct. 27 that year. During a visit to Hualien on Monday, Nicolas Wong (黃 柏燊), general manager of the carrier’s ground services, told Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) that the Hualien market is well-positioned because younger travelers increasingly favor destinations with “unique tourism resources” instead of large cities.
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