Taiwan, China Agree to New Year Charter Flights

Negotiators representing Taiwan and China have hammered out an agreement that will enable direct charter flights to operate across the Taiwan Strait during the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays.

The agreement, reached on January 15th at a meeting in Macau, provides for each side to conduct 24 round-trip flights between January 29th and February 20th. Up to six carriers from each side will be permitted to operate flights between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in mainland China and Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan. The flights will not be required to make a landing in Hong Kong or Macao but will have to transit Hong Kong air space enroute.

An official of Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said that all six of the island's airlines - China Airlines, EVA Airways, Far East Air Transport, Mandarin Airlines, TransAsia Airways and Uni Airways - are expected to be granted permission to operate flights. He added that the routes to be awarded to each and flight schedules will be announced following the granting of final approval by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the government body charged with overseeing relations between Taiwan and mainland China.

A spokeswoman for EVA Airways said that the airline has been assured that it will be granted permission to operate four flights. "We have been told that we will be permitted to operate two round trip flights between Taipei and Beijing and two between Taipei and Shanghai. We have applied to operate the Taipei-Beijing flights on January 29th and February 15th and those between Taipei and Shanghai on February 7th and 15th, and are now waiting for approval by the government," she said.

The New Year charter flights will mark the first time ever for a mainland Chinese aircraft to make a scheduled flight to Taiwan. Taiwan's Minister of Transportation and Communications, Lin Ling-san, earlier told reporters that, if an agreement was reached, the government in Taipei would have no problem with aircraft registered in mainland China or carrying China's national flag landing in Taiwan.

Direct Flights a Go - or No?

The ball appears to now be in Taiwan's court as Mainland China is reported to have agreed to conducting direct charter flights between Taiwan and the mainland during the upcoming lunar new year holidays.

A delegation of Taiwanese airline officials visiting Beijing to negotiate the flights announced that they and their mainland counterparts have agreed to terms under which direct cross-strait flights can be carried out. All that remains now, they said, is for the Taipei government to give its approval to the agreement.

The government in Taipei has banned all direct flights between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland since Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan in 1947. Special charter flights were conducted by Taiwanese airlines during the 2003 Chinese New Year holiday period but failed to get off the ground last year because Taiwan refused to allow mainland Chinese airlines to operate some of the flights. If the flights do go ahead this year, it will mark the first time for a mainland Chinese carrier to offer scheduled service to Taiwan.

Airline officials in Taiwan say that the special charter flights are necessary to relieve pressure on regularly scheduled service since as many as a half million Taiwanese living and working on the mainland are expected to return to Taiwan to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

HIV/AIDS Sufferers to Benefit From New Legislation

Taiwan's legislature is working on revisions to the nation's AIDS Prevention Act which will make it easier for those suffering from HIV/AIDS to visit. Under a revision drawn up by the legislature's health, environment and social welfare committee, HIV/AIDs sufferers will be permitted to enter Taiwan once every three months for a stay of up to 14 days.

Another revision to the act, submitted by the same committee, will require hotels to provide condoms for their guests. Any hotel failing to do so will face a fine of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,700).

Book New Year Travel Arrangements Early

Anyone with plans to be travelling within Taiwan during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday should insure that their travel agent books tickets well in advance. The two-week period leading up to and during the lunar new year holiday never fails to see a dramatic increase in the number of people travelling and bus, train and airline tickets are always sold out early.

Railway officials warn that tickets good for travel on February 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th and 15th will be sold out quickly as many travellers will be rushing home on the first two dates to celebrate the holiday with their families and will be returning during the latter three-day period.

A spokesman for Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration said that domestic airlines will add 312 extra flights between Taiwan and the offshore Pescadores Islands during the period from February 3rd through the 16th. Additional flights will also be scheduled to other offshore islands as well as on most routes within Taiwan itself. Even so, he said, most flights are expected to be fully booked well ahead of time.

Mandarin Launches Kinmen Service

Mandarin Airlines has begun service on two routes connecting Taiwan and the offshore island of Kinmen. Under the new schedule, Mandarin operates three return trips daily between Taipei and Kinmen and another three between Taichung and Kinmen.

Mandarin becomes the fourth carrier providing service between Taiwan proper and Kinmen. Kinmen routes are especially coveted as they are among the few domestic routes to have seen an increase in passenger traffic in recent years.