Transportation Deputy Minister Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) stated Tuesday at the Civil Aviation Administration’s (CAA’s) anniversary celebration that Taiwan’s overall domestic and international air passenger traffic reached 68.8 million passengers last year. The combined turnover of Taiwan’s Free Trade Zone (FTZ), encompassing one primary air cargo park and six major international seaports, also exceeded NT$5 trillion (US$158 billion) and is expected to break NT$6 trillion (US$189 billion) this year. 

Civil Aviation Administration Director Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) said at the event that international passenger traffic totaled 58.33 million last year and is on track to continue rising to 62 million this year, setting a new historical high. This growth is driven by several factors, she said, including the delivery of new aircraft to Taiwanese airlines and the opening of Taoyuan International Airport’s new terminal.

Per Ho, Taiwan’s current winter flight schedule includes 107 international destinations operating 2,981 flights per week, an increase of 124 flights weekly compared to the previous summer schedule. This figure also surpassed the 2,957 weekly flights recorded before the pandemic in 2019, reflecting a solid recovery in international routes and a promising outlook for the aviation market. 

Deputy Minister Lin urged Taiwanese airlines to fully leverage the open skies agreements with Japan and the United States and to explore new opportunities following the recent signing of the Taiwan-Finland air services agreement. He also encouraged carriers to expand their presence in North America-to-Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia transit markets.