Far Eastern Air resumes flight services

18th April, 2011
Focustaiwan.com

Taipei, April 18 (CNA) A Far Eastern Air Transport Corp. (FAT) flight took off from Taipei International Airport Monday for the outlying island of Kinmen, marking the resumption of service after a hiatus of nearly three years because of financial problems.

The carrier has also filed an application with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to resume international flights, with Siem Reap, Cambodia as its priority destination.

Siem Reap is the closest international airport to the renowned Angkor Wat temple complex, a major tourist draw. FTA began flights to Siem Reap in 2004 and hopes to resume service on the route in May.

FTA sources said the airline will also give priority to launching direct flight services across the Taiwan Strait.

On the domestic front, Makung City in the offshore county of Penghu and the southern port city of Kaohsiung are likely to be put on its service map soon, the sources said.

Prior to being suspended due to financial problems in May 2008, the carrier had 10 international routes. It launched its maiden international flight in 1998 to Palau.

Founded in 1957, FTA is Taiwan's first privately owned airline.

The carrier was ordered by the MOTC's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to suspend flights in May 2008 due to financial problems and in May 2009, a court ruled that it could restructure and resume operations as long as it could prove it had sufficient funds.

The MOTC approved FTA's service resumption plan early this year and the CAA issued a certificate for the carrier to resume its Taipei-Kinmen flights last Wednesday after an assessment of its aircraft, management and financial situation was completed.

The carrier's fleet consists of three CAA-certified MD82 and MD83 planes. (By Wang Shu-fen and Sofia Wu) enditem /pc