A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Terminal 2 of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to mark the launch of EVA Air’s new route to Canada’s largest city March 29.
Those attending the ceremony included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Lyu-shun, Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Lee Long-wen, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Scott Fraser, as well as EVA Air Chairman Solomon Lin and the airline’s president, James Jeng.
Speaking at the gathering, Shen said his ministry is currently in the process of collecting complaints by Taiwan citizens traveling abroad and studying how to implement a mechanism to actively help tourists who encounter customs-related problems while traveling to Canada and all other overseas destinations.
The deputy minister’s words were viewed as a reference to an incident earlier this month when a Taiwan tourist was denied entry into Canada by customs officials at Vancouver International Airport. The ministry sought an explanation from Canadian officials after a member of the tourist’s family filed a complaint after her return to Taiwan.
Lin said following the launch of direct flights between Taipei and Toronto, EVA Air has staffed service personnel at Toronto Pearson International Airport. He added that EVA would communicate with customs and immigration officials at the airport to avoid a repeat of the recent unfortunate incident in Vancouver.
EVA Air stated that Toronto marks the airline’s second direct flight destination in Canada following the launch of non-stop flights between Taipei and Vancouver in 1999.
It also makes EVA Air the first domestic carrier to offer direct flight services to eastern Canada.
Meanwhile, a CAL flight landed at London Heathrow Airport in the afternoon of March 28, marking the inauguration of the carrier’s direct services between Taipei and the capital of the United Kingdom.
CAL Chairman Philip Wei said the launch of direct flights is a proud moment for both the airline and Taiwan.
The new flight route marks the realization of a dream for the carrier following some 20 years of discussions and negotiations.
Chang Siao-yue, Taiwan representative to the U.K., as well as Chris Butler, BAA Ltd.’s operations director at Heathrow’s Terminal 4, were on hand at the airport to welcome the flight’s arrival.
Despite the fact that 90 airlines around the world now use Heathrow airport, Butler said the launch of direct services between Taipei and London is very important and he therefore decided to come out to mark the occasion.
Wei stated that England is the most important country in Europe for the airline, especially after the U.K. government’s recent decision to grant six-month visa free treatment for Taiwan passport holders.
Noting that the number of Taiwan visitors to the country has increased by 30 percent to 40 percent, Wei said he believes the launch of direct flight services will promote economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries. (SB)