Politics
11:19, 30-Jan-2018
Mainland airlines refund passengers after cross-Strait flights obstructed
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Two Chinese mainland airlines announced Tuesday that they will fully refund passengers due to the cancellation of extra cross-Strait flights for the upcoming Spring Festival, which were obstructed by the Taiwan aviation authority.
Less than a month ahead of Spring Festival, the most important family gathering festival in China, the island region's aviation authority has decided not to approve 176 additional cross-Strait flights operated by China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
Xiamen Airlines is based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, which faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait.
The two airlines announced Tuesday that it will fully refund or help with ticket changes for the passengers affected by the cancellation of the 70 extra cross-Strait flights.
A China Eastern Airlines plane is seen at an airport in Sinkiang, China, January 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
A China Eastern Airlines plane is seen at an airport in Sinkiang, China, January 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
The company also expressed its indignation toward the Taiwan authorities for taking "the approval of the flights as a bargaining counter" and ignore the travel needs of people on both sides.
"The Taiwan authorities overlooked the will and need of people across the Strait and refused to approve the extra flights already planned, leaving tens of thousands of Taiwan businessmen stranded on the Chinese mainland during the Spring Festival," Xiamen Airlines said in its statement. "It hurts the feeling of people from both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland."
Following the cancellation, China Air Transport Association expressed in a statement its opposition to the obstruction of the flights by the Taiwan authorities, describing the rejection as “unjustifiable.”
"Taiwan should be responsible for the consequences of hurting people's feelings from both sides (of the Taiwan Strait) and affecting passengers’ travel plans," the statement read.
Taiwan authorities previously said the rejection was made out of security concerns over the south-to-north operation of M503 flight route, which opened on January 4 this year and faced strong opposition from Taiwan authorities.
Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines said among passengers affected by the flight cancellation are Taiwanese business people, tourists, and students.
(With input from Xinhua News Agency)