Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-17
By: Central News Agency

Despite calls to promote tourism on Taiping Island following a controversial arbitration ruling on South China Sea disputes, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) was reluctant to back the idea on Sunday, saying it offered little economic benefit.

Citing the results of previous assessments, the CAA said the Taiwan-controlled island, located 1,600 kilometers south of Kaohsiung, must first have an airport capable of accommodating mid-sized single-aisle passenger planes such as B737-800s, A320s, A321s, or MD82s.

The airport runway on Taiping Island is only 1,200 meters long, meaning only smaller 19-seat Fairchild-Dornier 328s or 72-seat ATR72s can land there, but the 1,600-km distance is beyond the flight ranges of those aircraft.     [FULL  STORY]