A letter from Formosa Club, a group of cross-party Europe-based lawmakers, sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization calling for Taiwan’s meaningful participation is deeply appreciated by the government and people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sept. 20.
Signed by 142 co-chairs and legislators from the European Parliament and 28 national parliaments across Europe and Canada, the letter requested that ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano should invite Taiwan to the 41st session of the U.N. specialized agency’s triennial assembly scheduled for Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 in Montreal.
The document cites Taiwan as a key air traffic hub connecting Northeast and Southeast Asia. As part of a network of over 300 flight information regions worldwide, the Taipei FIR borders the Fukuoka, Manila, Hong Kong and Shanghai FIRs, and oversees 18 international routes and four domestic ones.
The FC missive said the Taipei FIR serviced over 1.85 million controlled flights and around 72 million passengers in 2019, while 66 airlines operated flights to and from Taiwan on 172 routes connecting 76 cities last year.
Citing statistics from Montreal-based Airports Council International, FC said Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was the fourth-busiest airport in the world in 2020 for international air cargo volume, and 10th in passenger volume the year before.
It added that despite being an indispensable part of the global aviation network, Taiwan continues to be excluded from ICAO activities, mechanisms and meetings, and is thus unable to obtain comprehensive ICAO information in a timely manner.
Furthermore, China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan have affected global air routes and jeopardized safety in regional FIRs, FC said, adding that aviation safety transcends national borders and must not be politicized.
As this year’s ICAO session is themed “Reconnecting the World,” the FC said it would be appropriate to invite Taiwan to attend the assembly. Only by welcoming participation by all stakeholders can ICAO achieve its objectives of making global air transport safe, efficient and economical, it added.
According to the MOFA, the letter follows resolutions of the same stance recently passed by the European Affairs Committee of the Slovakia National Council and the EP.
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded partners to defend rule-based international order and contribute to a peaceful, prosperous and stable Indo-Pacific, the ministry added. (SFC-E)
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