Direct flights between Taipei Songshan Airport and Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport will begin at the end of March 2012, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nov. 11.
MOFA’s statement came after officials from Taiwan and South Korea reached a consensus on establishing the new aviation route during negotiations Nov. 10 to 11.
“The route will provide passengers with more choices and help cut back travel time, as each airport is located in the heart of its nation’s capital, increasing travel convenience,” MOFA said. “It will greatly enhance bilateral cultural and tourism exchanges.”
MOFA added that the two sides have agreed on seven flights a week each, using aircraft with no more than 200 seats. In addition, passenger volume on flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and South Korea’s Incheon International Airport will be expanded to 5,500 per week from the current 4,500, MOFA pointed out.
According to Government Information Office Minister Philip Yang, the TSA-Gimpo route is the last link in ROC President Ma Ying-jeou’s plan for a “golden circle” route in Northeast Asia, connecting TSA with Gimpo, Tokyo Haneda Airport and Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport, all located in capital cities or important commercial districts.
“Taiwan is in a geographically advantageous position, with flights to other Asia-Pacific regions taking an average of only three to four hours,” Yang said. With TSA-Hongqiao and TSA-Haneda services already begun in 2010, “once TSA-Gimpo is launched, more travel time will be saved among the four cities. It is expected more Japanese and Korean travelers will visit Taiwan, further boosting the nation’s economic growth.” (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw