Taipei, May 15, 2008 (CENS)--Staring July, passengers may be able to take direct flights from Taipei to Shanghai, as Mao Chi-kuo, minister-designate of transportation and communications, revealed yesterday (May 14) that Songshan Airport and Chingchuankang Airport in Taichung will be among the first-wave list of airports open to direct cross-Taiwan Strait flights on weekends, along with Taoyuan Airport and Hsiaokang Airport in Kaohsiung.

In an interview with Chinese Television System, Mao noted that simple customs clearance and inspection facilities will be put in place at Songshan Airport and Chingchuangkang Airport by July.

The move is expected to be a shot in the arm for the operation of Songshan Airport, which has plunged in recent years, due to the impact of the high-speed rail on domestic flight business. The number of passenger trips of the airport reached only 4.7 million last year, 70% of the peak level of 16 million during 1955-1997. Due to sharp decline in landing fees and franchise fees, the airport now barely manages to break even in finance.

The airport is expected to appropriate two of its eight ramps to accommodate airplanes for direct cross-Strait flights, capable of servicing 16 flights a day, or 4.3 million passenger trips a year.
(by Philip Liu)