TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration (民航局) announced on Tuesday (Jan. 20) that the aviation industry has shown a robust recovery, reaching and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Deputy Minister of Transportation Lin Kuo-Shian (林國顯) revealed that last year, the nation's air traffic hit 68.8 million passengers, with 10.5 million on domestic routes, demonstrating solid market recovery.
Civil Aviation Administration Director-General Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) noted that the number of international flights in the winter schedule reached 2,981 per week, surpassing the pre-pandemic weekly count of 2,957. This reflects a stable recovery in international routes and a promising outlook for the aviation market. Lin emphasized that last year opened the possibility of flights to Northern Europe, with revised air agreements enhancing airline usage.
Flights from Taiwan to Japan and South Korea now exceed 800 and 500 per week, respectively, facilitating transfers for North American travelers to Southeast and Northeast Asia. "We hope all airlines can see this as a tool for both long and short-haul travel," Lin said. Last year's air traffic reached 260,000 flights, with cargo volume at 2.57 million tons, both exceeding pre-pandemic levels, indicating economic growth in the aviation sector.
The administration also reported that flights to and from Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, Europe, the U.S., and Southeast Asia have surpassed 2019 statistics, with the Middle East seeing a 214% recovery. The administration predicted that this year's traffic would break pre-pandemic records, potentially reaching 62 million international passengers. Ho predicted a thriving air transport market, with strong growth momentum in the Asia-Pacific region.