China Airlines to Resume Direct Flights from Taoyuan to Chongqing on October 28! Is Direct Cross-Strait Air Travel Unstoppable? MAC Vice Chairperson Liang Wenjie Signals 'Non-Intervention,' Letting Airlines Decide

China Airlines is set to resume direct flights between Taoyuan and Chongqing starting October 28, with one round-trip flight each on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Observers are curious about the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) stance on state-influenced airlines expanding direct flights to mainland China. MAC Vice Chairperson Liang Wenjie stated that as long as flights fall within the permitted air rights, airlines can independently decide whether to operate a route, and the MAC will not intervene or participate in approval decisions.

According to global aviation route information website 'AeroRoutes,' China Airlines will restart direct flights between Taoyuan Airport and Chongqing Jiangbei Airport on October 28. The route will operate weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The flight from Taoyuan to Chongqing, CI553, will depart Taoyuan at 15:30 and arrive in Chongqing at 19:00. The return flight, CI554, will depart Chongqing Jiangbei Airport at 20:00 and arrive in Taoyuan at 23:00. The aircraft type used will be the A321neo.

Liang Wenjie acknowledged that traveling to mainland China is cheaper than visiting Japan or South Korea. When asked by the media about the increasing number of Taiwanese traveling to mainland China despite the MAC regularly reporting cases of missing or detained individuals, Liang responded:

"From January to June this year, outbound travel by Taiwanese exploded, marking the first time over 10 million people traveled abroad during the first half of the year—an overall increase of 17% compared to the same period last year. The top destination was Japan, followed by mainland China. This travel boom is across the board, with explosive growth to Japan, mainland China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand."

"The reason for this surge may be Taiwan's stock market prosperity in recent years, allowing many people to earn money, and the fact that traveling to mainland China is cheaper than Japan or South Korea—especially for group tours. This explains the overall situation."

"However, we reiterate that the MAC's position is to inform the public of the risks associated with traveling to mainland China. Whether or not to travel remains a personal decision."

In response to a question from Feng Media, Liang said: "It's not that demand for cross-strait flights is particularly high, but rather that demand for travel from Taiwan to countries worldwide—including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam—is universally high. As a result, nearly every route is facing supply shortages."

"We follow a principle: Taiwan has 211 weekly flight rights to mainland China, while the mainland has 209 weekly rights to Taiwan. However, our airlines, including EVA Air and China Airlines, are currently only operating 114 flights per week, leaving 97 weekly flights unused."

"Airlines make their own decisions based on operational costs and profitability. The MAC's role is to conduct overall policy planning and provide recommendations."

"For individual routes, the decision to operate lies with each airline based on market observation, judgment, and their own passenger capacity."

In the first half of 2026, Chongqing Jiangbei Airport handled over 1.48 million inbound and outbound passengers, a 39.5% increase year-on-year (Xinhua News Agency).

When Feng Media followed up, asking whether aviation information websites had revealed that China Airlines would resume direct flights from Taoyuan to Chongqing on October 28, Liang stated: "As long as it's within the air rights quota, airlines can decide which routes to fly. The MAC will not intervene in individual route applications. Therefore, regarding this specific route, the MAC will not participate in approval or rejection decisions."