[ad_1]
TAIPEI: A Taiwanese airline carried around 120 passengers on a “flight to nowhere” on Saturday (September 19) to see South Korea’s tourist island of Jeju, before flying straight home, the latest trick. to give people a glimpse of normalcy during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Tight border restrictions to keep the coronavirus in check have caused a 97.5 percent drop in international travel in the region, according to the Asia Pacific Airlines Association.
Many frequent fliers are unable to board airplanes and airlines, including Taiwan’s EVA Airways and Japan’s ANA Holdings, desperate for revenue and keeping their pilot licenses up to date, have offered special tourist flights.
Saturday’s flight by Tigerair Taiwan, the low-cost unit of Taiwan’s largest airline China Airlines, took off from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport and flew to Jeju, circling low to give passengers a chance to see the island, although the fog limited the views, and then flying back to Taiwan.
Passengers dressed in traditional Korean Hanbok costumes are seen before boarding a Tigerair Taiwan flight that will encircle South Korea’s Jeju Island and then return to Taoyuan, after the COVID-19 outbreak, at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan , Taiwan. (Photo: Chen Shu-Tzu / Handout via Reuters)
“I feel like I haven’t been abroad for a long time, and I think this event is very special. It’s a good deal,” said 43-year-old passenger Chen Shu-tzu.
Some passengers wore traditional Korean costumes to mark the flight.
A staff member holds placards introducing the Korean and Jeju languages on a Tigerair Taiwan flight that flies over South Korea’s Jeju Island before returning to Taiwan’s Taoyuan, following the global COVID-19 outbreak on 19 September 2020 (Photo: Chen Shu-Tzu). / Brochure via Reuters)
Passengers and staff posed for photos before the flight took off, holding a sign in Chinese, Korean and English that read: “South Korea misses you. Tigerair Taiwan Longing flight (to) take off.”
While international travel has collapsed, domestic travel is booming in Taiwan, where the pandemic is well under control.
Flights to the sun-soaked offshore islands and rugged east coast of Taiwan are packed, and Tigerair leases some of its planes to bolster supply on domestic routes.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
