The government collected more than NT$280 million (US$8.8 million) in overflight navigation service charges from flights passing through the Taipei flight information region last year, about a 30 percent increase compared with the year before, following a service charge adjustment on March 1 last year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA). Revenue generated from air navigation service charges rose 6.72 percent to about NT$2 billion, it said.
The overflight air navigation service charge refers specifically to the fee charged to aircraft passing through a country’s airspace without landing, covering the air navigation and air traffic control services provided while the aircraft is en route.
The air navigation service charge is a broader category of fees covering various air navigation services provided to aircraft during flight operations, including en route navigation, approach, departure, communication and air traffic control services.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
The top three international flight carriers contributing to overflight revenue last year were Cathay Pacific (12.05 percent), Hong Kong Express (10.11 percent) and Korean Air (8.98 percent). They were followed by VietJet Air, Jeju Air, Hong Kong Airlines, T’way Air, Asiana Airlines, Thai Airways and All Nippon Airways.
The busiest route in Taipei FIR was M750 route for flights from the Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong to Japan and North America, followed by Q11 route connecting South Korea and Southeast Asia and A1 route for flights from North America and Japan headed to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
The Hong Kong-Taipei route retained its position as the world’s busiest international air route last year, with 6,829,184 available seats, according to Official Aviation Guide data.
A large percentage of air navigation service charge revenue was contributed by Taiwan-based airlines, with the top three passenger carriers being EVA Airways, China Airlines and Starlux Airlines. FedEx, a US-based cargo-focused carrier, was ranked seventh in terms of the amount of air navigation service charges paid.
CAA Director-General Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) said the nation’s air passenger traffic rose to 58.33 million last year, marking a nine-percent increase compared to the year before.
The current winter flight schedule shows that an average of 2,981 flights are dispatched each week, surpassing the 2,957 weekly flights before the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
“The statistics show a solid recovery and bright prospect for the nation’s international flight market,” Ho said.
Last year, 58 percent of air travelers were serviced by six Taiwanese carriers, while 42 percent were serviced by carriers from other countries, Ho said.
International flight passengers are expected to hit record highs this year, as 5.3 million passengers were recorded in the airports across the country in January, 109 percent of the pre-pandemic level for the same period.
Airports across the country saw increasing passenger numbers last year, Ho said.
The most significant increase was reported in Taichung International Airport, which was accessed by 1.7 million passengers last year, an 86 percent increase compared to the year before, she said.
Passengers accessing the Taipei International Airport grew 5 percent to reach 3.03 million, while those accessing the Kaohsiung International Airport were up 24 percent to reach 5.75 million, she added.
The convenience and connectivity of Taiwan’s air network would be further enhanced with the scheduled launch of new direct flight services this year, Ho said.
EVA Airways is launching a Taipei-Washington flight on June 26, while Starlux Airlines begins offering direct flights to Prague on Aug. 1 and to Tokyo-Haneda Airport, Busan and Kumamoto from Taichung later this year, Ho said.
Tigerair Taiwan is scheduled to launch Taichung-Okinawa flights at the end of this month, she said.
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