TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The most-tracked aircraft in the world on Tuesday (May 5) morning was not Air Force One or a billionaire's private jet. It was a 25-year-old Airbus A340 that once ferried China Airlines (中華航空) passengers between Taipei and Europe — now the unlikely diplomatic lifeline that carried Taiwan's president home from Africa.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed over 10,000 users monitoring the plane as it approached Taiwan, more than any other aircraft in the world at that moment. The unusual southern route over the Indian Ocean — swinging wide to avoid three countries' airspace — had drawn aviation enthusiasts and political observers alike. They were watching Taiwan improvise its way around a Chinese diplomatic blockade.
The aircraft, registration B-18802, began its life as a China Airlines passenger jet, delivered in 2001. It was retired in 2015 and sold to Eswatini in 2016 for approximately US$12 million (around NT$380 million), becoming King Mswati III's official transport. A decade later, it became the plane that carried President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to Taiwan's last diplomatic ally in Africa — and back again.
China had pressured Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to revoke overflight permits for Taiwan's charter aircraft in late April, according to Taiwan's Presidential Office. The blockade appeared to have closed the door on Lai's planned state visit. Then Taiwan found another door: Eswatini's Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla (札杜莉) flew to Taipei on the king's personal jet for an official visit — and Lai simply boarded it for the return trip.
Tai Tso-min (戴佐敏), an associate professor of transportation management at National Cheng Kung University (成功大學), noted that the return flight's longer route was a deliberate choice after the outbound journey's secrecy was compromised. "Being able to plan such a mission under these international circumstances was very clever," Tai said.
The return flight departed Eswatini's King Mswati III International Airport in Manzini at 6:50 p.m. Taipei time Monday and flew southeast into the Indian Ocean, avoiding Madagascar and Mauritius airspace. The detour added approximately two hours to the journey, according to flight tracking data. The total round-trip covered approximately 25,000 kilometers (15,534 miles) over 84 hours, the president highlighted in his remarks.
China Airlines continues to provide maintenance support for the aircraft, and airline executives with A340 operating experience accompanied the delegation, according to Taiwan media reports. The arrangement adds another layer of irony: Taiwan's national carrier — whose name includes "China" for historical reasons — helped sustain the aircraft that circumvented Chinese diplomatic pressure.
"Mutual visits between heads of state are nothing out of the ordinary — just like visiting a friend," Lai said at Taoyuan International Airport on Tuesday. "It is a basic right of every country." The remark framed the improvised journey as routine diplomacy rather than desperate workaround.
Dladla accompanied Lai on the entire round-trip, flying approximately 50,000 kilometers (31,069 miles) over two return trips within a single week. Lai turned to her at the airport and said, "Madam Deputy Prime Minister, you must be the best leading actress" — comparing her to the lead character in the 1989 film "Driving Miss Daisy."
However, analysts cautioned that the workaround may be difficult to replicate. The United Daily News noted that if the three Indian Ocean nations block future Eswatini-Taiwan flight plans, the A340 may struggle flying westward against headwinds. The report suggested Taiwan might need longer-range aircraft, such as the A350ULR with 20-hour range, to ensure future presidential travel.
The trip also required operational compromises. To maintain secrecy, the delegation was reduced to minimal personnel, and no journalists accompanied the president, according to United Daily News. The usual contingent of reporters, security personnel and support staff was absent. Standard government protocols for communications, security and media coverage were scaled back significantly.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the visit demonstrated the depth of Taiwan-Eswatini relations. "Although the trip was once obstructed by external forces, Taiwan's steps toward the world will not stop," Lin wrote on Facebook. "Taiwan will continue to move forward with a steady and responsible attitude, showing the resilience of the Taiwanese people to the international community."
China has not issued an official statement on the completed visit. The 10,000 people who tracked the flight on Tuesday watched more than a plane landing — they watched Taiwan test a theory: that old alliances, and old aircraft, might still open doors. "We will not back down because of pressure," Lai said. The unlikely lifeline had been parked in Eswatini's royal hangar all along. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.67)