Will the latest cross-strait charter flight award go to 'this city'? Chamber of Commerce Chairman Xu Shubo reveals launch in late August, operated by China Eastern Airlines

Xu Shubo, Chairman of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, disclosed that he has coordinated with Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Shih-chung to start charter flights from mainland destinations without direct flights. The plan is to apply for charter flights from Xi'an and Kunming to Taiwan, to be operated by China Eastern Airlines. However, Chiu Shih-chung stated on August 5 in the Legislative Yuan that no charter flight applications have been seen yet, raising concerns that the plan might be abandoned. However, it is understood that Xu Shubo privately emphasized that the application will be submitted soon. Currently, Taiwan has opened 15 regular flight routes, including Beijing, Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Xiamen, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Ningbo, and Zhengzhou, with a total of 420 flights per week, divided into 211 flights by Taiwanese airlines and 209 flights by mainland airlines. Additionally, 13 charter flight routes have been opened, including Shenyang, Wuxi, Haikou, Changsha, Xi'an, Jinan, Hefei, Nanchang, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Dalian, Guilin, and Xuzhou. Airlines can apply for charter flights during festivals such as Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival. If there is sufficient demand, Taiwan does not rule out converting charter flight routes to regular flight routes. Xu Shubo recently revealed that he has coordinated with the Mainland Affairs Council, and for mainland destinations without direct flights, charter flights can be started first, and plans to submit the demand for charter flights from Xi'an and Kunming to Taiwan to the Civil Aviation Administration. Xu Shubo stated that China Eastern Airlines has submitted charter flight applications for Xi'an and Kunming, with the progress of Xi'an being the fastest. If the Civil Aviation Administration completes the review, the first Xi'an charter flight is expected to operate in late August, primarily serving Taiwanese businesspeople returning to Taiwan for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since Xi'an is one of the charter flight routes announced by the Taiwan Civil Aviation Administration, it is currently the most favored to be approved. However, Chiu Shih-chung stated on August 5 during an interview in the Legislative Yuan that no charter flight applications have been seen yet. He publicly called for, if there is indeed capacity, it can be submitted. There are concerns that Chiu Shih-chung's statement and Xu Shubo's statement have a significant discrepancy, and whether the Xi'an and Kunming charter flights will be stillborn. However, according to Wind Media, Xu Shubo privately emphasized that the charter flight plan will be submitted soon. Perhaps the public can look forward to good news in the future, and welcome the Xi'an charter flight direct flight during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since this summer, cross-strait direct flights have surged, with mainland airlines already resuming 4 cross-strait routes, and Taiwan's China Airlines is scheduled to resume the Taipei Taoyuan to Chongqing Jiangbei route, which has been suspended for 6 years, on October 28, totaling 5 new regular cross-strait direct flight routes since this summer. The latest resumption and new opening of cross-strait direct flights are summarized as follows: Airline Route (Departure ↔ Destination) Opening/Resumption Date Operating Frequency China Eastern Airlines Taichung ↔ Chengdu July 1, 2023 Every Wednesday, Sunday Shandong Airlines Taichung ↔ Qingdao July 23, 2023 Every Thursday Spring Airlines Kaohsiung ↔ Ningbo July 4, 2023 Every Tuesday, Saturday Zhejiang Longjiang Airlines Taichung ↔ Chengdu Tianfu July 28, 2023 Every Tuesday, Saturday China Airlines Taipei Taoyuan ↔ Chongqing Jiangbei October 28, 2023 Every Wednesday, Saturday * Actual flight times and schedule changes, please refer to the latest announcements on each airline's official website.