TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Apex Flight Academy, the only professional flight training organization in Taiwan, is planning to expand its horizons before the end of the year by introducing new planes and launching scenic air tours over the East Rift Valley and the east coast.
Apex, which has until now focused on aviation training, is legally allowed to dabble in air tour operations, CNA reported.
Apex Chairman Wilson Kao (高健祐) told the news agency on Monday (Sept. 20) that the company will introduce two new Italian-made P2012 aircraft, the first of which will arrive by early October.
Pilots sent to Italy by Apex have completed flight training, and the planes are expected to receive an airworthiness certificate issued by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) by November at the latest, Kao said. He added that the company is looking to begin providing air tours by early December if not sooner.
Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range is magnificent, and there are over 260 peaks with an elevation of over 3,000 meters in the country, the chairman explained. However, over 90% of Taiwanese have never seen such sights up close from the sky.
Last year, when flight experience tours were happening, Kao said the idea emerged of expanding on the concept to help people get a better look at the mountains and the coast.
According to Kao, passengers will be able to clearly see the mountains as well as the coast of Hualien and Taitung in tours that last about 30 to 60 minutes.
He reckoned air tours will become a new mode of tourism and attract interest, especially before border controls are lifted, while after Taiwan reopens to the world, air tours will attract international tourists.
The P2012 was introduced in 2012 and certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2018 and by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2019. The aircraft is a clean-sheet piston-powered commercial aircraft capable of carrying nine passengers and two pilots.
Details of the guided air tours and their cost will be announced after the company obtains the airworthiness certificates, the report said.
