Uni Air applies to suspend Taipei-Hualien flights

• By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

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The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday confirmed that Uni Air has submitted an application to suspend its Taipei-Hualien flights due to persistently low passenger rates.

The airline, which is the only operator of the Taipei-Hualien route, proposed to suspend the service after Mandarin Airlines, another domestic flight carrier, applied to suspend flights to Hualien departing from Kaohsiung and Taichung earlier this year.

The average load factor of the Taipei-Hualien flights during the first six months was 24.2 percent, CAA data showed.

Hualien Airport is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: CNA

The average seat occupancy rate dropped even further to 17 percent last month, even though it was the beginning of the summer travel season, Uni Air said.

The average load factor for Taichung-Hualien and Kaohsiung-Hualien flights from January to June were 57.5 percent and 42 percent respectively, CAA data showed.

By contrast, the average passenger load factors for flights to Taiwan’s outlying islands all surpassed 80 percent, with some hitting 90 percent.

The average load factor for the Taipei-Taitung flights also exceeded 70 percent, CAA data showed.

The CAA said it is reviewing Uni Air’s application and has requested Mandarin Airlines to provide supplementary information.

Uni Air said in a statement that residents in northern Taiwan generally use the eastbound railway system when traveling to and from Hualien, and there is a very low demand for Taipei-Hualien flight services.

As there is greater demand for flights to outlying islands, the airline said it is seeking approval from the CAA to suspend its Taipei-Hualien service, in hopes of making more efficient use of its aviation resources.

In April, Mandarin Airlines chairman Chen Da-chun (陳大鈞) said the airline is practically losing money on every flight it operates to Hualien, with the collective loss topping about NT$70 million (US$2.2 million) per year.

Hualien Tourism Department Director Yu Ming-hsun (余明?) said while he respects the airlines’ positions, residents in Hualien still need air transportation.

“There is no freeway or high-speed rail system in Hualien. We rely heavily on the highway and railway systems for outbound travel. The county must still have aviation services and even marine services,” Yu said.

“Even though Hualien has a relatively smaller population, the residents’ transportation needs should be treated fairly. The government should address the issue from the standpoint of balancing regional developments,” he said. “Financial losses incurred from unprofitable flight routes should be covered by earnings from profitable routes, and the government should properly subsidize the operation of unprofitable routes as well.”

Air transportation is a lifeline for Hualien’s tourism industry, Hualien Hotel Association chairwoman Chang Hsuan-han (張琄菡) said, adding that suspending the route would undermine travelers’ confidence and hurt the development of the local tourism sector.