Taiwan and China have agreed to raise the number of regular cross-strait flights from 558 to 616, officials said after cross-strait aviation talks on Friday.
Under the new agreement, each side would be able to dispatch 308 cross-strait flights per week, up from 279 flights per week under the previous agreement.
As part of the deal, Taiwan has agreed to establish Chiayi airport as another base for cross-strait flights. China has added Yinchuan, Hohhot, Zhangjiajie, Urumqi, Xining, Hailar, Lijiang and Weihai to the list of airports which could service cross-strait flights. Each of the newly added Chinese airports would offer three flights per week.
Five cross-strait charter flights are to be changed to regular flights, including the service between Kaohsiung and Wuchang.
Both sides also agreed to extend the availability of seasonal charter flights from March to November.
Aside from Penghu’s Makong (馬公), the seasonal charter flight service would be available in Hualien, Taitung, Chiayi and Tainan.
China chose Luoyang, Jieyang Chaoshan, Meizhou, Yichang and Wuyishan as new airports for the seasonal charter flights.
Meanwhile, both sides decided not to limit the total number of additional flights for the Lunar New Year holiday, provided that caps remain on several Chinese cities.
Between Jan. 27 and Feb. 24, the number of flights to Beijing will be capped at 18, Shanghai Pudong Airport will be capped at 100, Guangzhou at 30, Shenzhen at 28, Hangzhou at 98 and Nanjing at 38.
Taipei International Airport (Songshan) and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport will not offer additional flights during the Lunar New Year holiday.
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