Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said yesterday that renovation work at Taipei Songshan Airport had been completed in time to welcome the first batch of Chinese tourists arriving via direct cross-strait charter flights this weekend.
Among all the domestic airports open to receive Chinese tourists, Songshan is the only one that has not handled charter flight services.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) started renovating the airport facilities about three weeks ago.
PHOTO: CNA
DRY RUN
Mao made the remark as he made a final inspection of the customs-immigration-quarantine (CIQ) area and other facilities before a dry run today.
The CAA also invited the media and tour guides to accompany Mao and check out the new facilities.
Asked to rate the quality of the facilities, Mao did not give a score and simply said that the public would be the best judge.
Within a month, the CAA has managed to set up partitions separating the walkways for Chinese tourists and domestic tourists.
The CAA’s design shows that Chinese tourists will arrive at gate No. 10 and No. 11 in the airport’s first terminal.
They will then proceed to the CIQ and baggage claim areas in terminal two.
Terminal 1 has a photo wall featuring Taipei 101 and the Chinese characters for “hospitable,” while Terminal 2 has a photo wall featuring the sky lanterns in Pingsi (平溪), Taipei County, and other major tourist attractions in each county.
COMPLAINTS
David Chi (吉星照), a tour guide with Phoenix Tours (鳳凰旅行社), complained that the baggage claim area was not big enough.
He said it might not be easy or convenient for some travelers to have to walk down the steps in the first terminal and walk across the aircraft parking area before reaching the second terminal.
Mao said an inauguration ceremony will be held in Taiwan and China on Friday, where water will be sprayed on the aircraft before they leave on the inaugural flights.
Taiwan has arranged for lion and dragon dance performances to greet the tourists.
SOUVENIR
The Taipei City Government will also give each tourist a small gift as souvenir.
In related news, the CAA announced yesterday that domestic airlines would start raising the fuel surcharge for international flights on July 15.
The fuel surcharge will be adjusted to US$37.5 one-way for flights to other Asian countries. Cross-continental flights, including those to Australia and New Zealand, will have fuel surcharges raised to US$97.5 one-way.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS