Legislators yesterday urged the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to address the issue of the fifth freedom of the air for cross-strait flights in negotiations with China over an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).
The fifth freedom of the air would allow Taiwanese carriers to fly on to other nations after arriving at airports in China, and vice versa.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Yang Li-huan (楊麗環) and Chu Fong-chi (朱鳳芝) suggested that the ministry take the opportunity presented by ECFA talks to discuss the matter.
Chu said Taiwan and China had failed to reach a consensus on the fifth freedom at previous cross-strait talks because if China agrees to the fifth freedom, it could risk Chinese carriers losing some customers to their Taiwanese counterparts.
MOTC Deputy Minister Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said the ministry could make policy suggestions to the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and recommend that it list the issue on the agenda for talks with Chinese officials if “it is in the best interest of Taiwan.”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津), on the other hand, said that the ministry should work to gain observer status for Taiwan in the UN International Civil Aviation Organization.
The proposals were put forward at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to review the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s (CAA) budget for the 2010 fiscal year.
Aside from the matter of cross-strait flights, some legislators also criticized the CAA for what they said was a lackluster performance by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
A report by Airports Council International (ACI) ranked the airport 18th in the Asia-Pacific region last year in terms of flight passenger volume, down from 14th in 2007.
Lawmakers said there were shortcomings in the airport’s infrastructure. They also suggested that the MOTC dismiss flight control personnel at airports that have relatively low usage rates.
DPP Legislator Kuo Wen-chen (郭玟成) said some airports, such as Pingtung’s, have a usage rate of about 1 percent since the launch of the high-speed rail.
Yeh Kuang-shih said the ministry would review the operations of all airports nationwide.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS