Taiwan to China charters to exceed 108 weekly target

The original target of 108 weekly flights directly connecting Taiwan and mainland China will be exceeded by 5 January, after one month of the direct crossings being introduced, according to a report by Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).

Applications for destinations and flight numbers by aviation companies are increasingly weekly, meaning that by the fourth week of the program’s inception, a rate of 108 return weekly flights was reached, the CAA said.

According to the terms of an accord signed by China and Taiwan in November, a maximum of 108 weekly charters was agreed, based on a framework that had been set up in July when weekend non-stop charters were introduced.

Taiwan opened eight of its airports to both China- and Taiwan-based airlines to operate the charter flights across the straits. The most popular airports for the routes are the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Taipei Songshan Airport in northern Taiwan, the Taichung Chingchuankang Airport in central Taiwan and the Kaohsiung International Airport in the south of the country.

The number of destinations in China that the flights are serving has increased from five to 21, as the direct flights have increased in frequency from weekly to daily.

www.caa.gov.tw