The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) on Friday night said that it received an apology from Etihad Airways, after a Taiwanese passenger complained that an inflight announcement on a flight to Taipei referred to Taiwan as “Taiwan, China,” prompting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request an apology and correction.
A Taiwanese passenger last week posted on social media their experience of taking an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Taipei earlier this month.
They said that upon arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the inflight announcement said “Welcome to Taiwan” in English, but “Welcome to Taiwan, China,” in Chinese, and also warned that bringing meat products from abroad could result in a penalty from the “Chinese government.”
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
The passenger said that they immediately asked a flight attendant whether referring to Taiwan as “Taiwan, China” reflects the airline’s policy. The cabin manager said that the announcement was read from a script and that the passengers could raise the issue with the company.
In response to the post, the ministry on Friday issued a statement strongly protesting against the Etihad Airways’ inflight announcement in Chinese calling it unacceptable.
“The Republic of China, Taiwan, is an independent sovereign nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China, which is an objective fact and the internationally recognized ‘status quo,’” the ministry said.
“Any improper practice that belittles Taiwan’s sovereignty will absolutely not be accepted by the Taiwanese government and the people of Taiwan,” it said.
The ministry said that it has asked its representative office in Dubai to coordinate with the CAA to lodge a complaint with Etihad Airways’ headquarters and the UAE’s representative in Taiwan, requesting that the airline make an apology and correct the announcement script.
The ministry said it will continue to follow the situation and defend national dignity and sovereignty.
The CAA on Friday said that it received a letter from Etihad Airways’ headquarters in which it apologized for causing a negative perception of the airline through the announcement.
It also said it will continue to improve content oversight and staff training to ensure that its services meet passenger expectations.
The letter said the company has already reviewed and corrected the terms used in its inflight announcement, and that it would also revise any phrasing that might be confusing or inconsistent with local usage, the CAA said.
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