International airlines are flocking back to Taiwan after a long absence to cash in on Taiwanese tourists and trade opportunities
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/03/05
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite pressure to not recognize Taiwan as a country on their
Air France Boeing 777-200. (By Wikimedia Commons)
websites by China, several international air carriers are restoring their services to Taiwan because of the potential for increased tourism and trade.
In spite of pressure on airlines such as Delta Air Lines and Qantas by China to classify Taiwan as a part of the communist country, and the recent spat over Chinese unilateral use of the controversial M503 route, many international carriers have started to reopen old direct routes to Taiwan.
In the 1990s, many international airlines services discontinued services to Taiwan due to threats from China that they would retaliate with the confiscation of landing rights if they continued to fly directly to Taiwan. At the time, Beijing claimed the sole right to negotiate landing rights for Taiwan, as it claims the country to be part of China. [FULL STORY]