TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday announced that China Eastern Airlines plans to launch direct Chengdu-Taichung flights starting July 1, though Taiwanese officials questioned whether demand justifies additional cross-strait routes.
Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Zhang Hanhui said Beijing has continued working to restore cross-strait air links, per CNA. She described the Chengdu-Taichung route as a proactive measure to facilitate travel for “Taiwan compatriots.”
Zhang said cross-strait direct passenger flights carried 641,000 travelers on 3,140 round-trip flights in April, up 14% from a year earlier. She added that average passenger load factors exceeded 85% and urged the DPP government to meet growing travel demand across the Taiwan Strait.
According to a May 10 report by the Chengdu Daily, China Eastern plans to operate two weekly flights between Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Taichung on Wednesdays and Sundays beginning July 1, per CNA. The flight is expected to take about three hours and 20 minutes.
The route will become Chengdu’s second direct passenger route to Taiwan after Taipei, according to CNA. Travelers flying from Chengdu to Taichung previously had to transfer through a third city.
Following a meeting between KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in April, the Taiwan Affairs Office announced 10 measures, including the full resumption and normalization of cross-strait passenger air services, per CNA. Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said on April 15 that 420 flights per week were planned on the existing 10 cross-strait routes, but only 310 are actually operating, indicating weaker-than-expected demand.
At an April 16 press conference, Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said the government welcomes healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges. However, she said passenger demand remains below expectations, and authorities would conduct a practical assessment after receiving the official application documents.
Civil Aviation Administration official Chang Tsui-fen (張翠芬) said during the briefing that authorities had received the relevant information but had not observed a significant increase in passenger demand. She said current flight capacity remains sufficient and that the government would continue to monitor the market before making adjustments.
The Mainland Affairs Council said on April 16 it had received a request from China to expand direct cross-strait flights but described the proposal as politically motivated despite limited market demand. MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said airlines are primarily concerned about whether there are enough returning passengers to sustain the routes.
Liang said many of the proposed destinations are tourist cities, but because China still bans group tours to Taiwan, flights would mostly carry Taiwanese travelers outbound, with few passengers returning. He added that many destinations can also be reached more cheaply through transfers in Shanghai or Beijing, reducing demand for direct flights.
