Direct passenger flights across the Taiwan Strait serve as a bridge for communication, not bargaining chips for political gains, a mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The mainland recently urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan to respond to the strong call from the island province for a full resumption of cross-Strait flights and enable airlines on both sides of the Strait to plan their flight schedules based on market demands. The DPP authorities, however, claimed that the actual demand for direct flights across the Taiwan Strait is not as high as imagined, and that the current actual operating flights can already meet the current demand.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing in response, Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, provided the related data to refute the claim.
"Direct passenger flights across the Taiwan Strait serve as an air link to facilitate personnel exchanges and smooth economic and cultural cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, meeting the active travel demand of the people who come and go frequently. Whether the demand is high or not, data will speak for itself. In 2025, a total of 31,973 flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait handled 5.7828 million passenger trips. In the first quarter of this year, the number of cross-Strait flights reached 8,079, handling 1.4672 million passenger trips," Zhang said.
The number of cross-Strait passenger trips increased by double digits year on year, and the passenger load factor exceeded 80 percent. These solid data confirm the vigorous demand for direct flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the strong desire and willingness of the people to travel back and forth. It is known that the mainland airlines have basically fully utilized the flight capacity quota on cross-Strait routes," she said.
"According to the relevant arrangements for air transport across the Taiwan Strait, airlines on both sides of the Strait can operate no more than 890 passenger flights per week between 61 airports on the mainland and 10 airports in Taiwan. This was an existing arrangement that had been in operation for a long time before 2020. The cross-Strait air transport exchange commission has repeatedly urged the Taiwan side to fully restore the normalization of direct flights across the Taiwan Strait. This is a positive measure in response to the calls of people on both sides and to promote a full resumption of flights," the spokeswoman said.
"Direct air flights across the Taiwan Strait serve as a bridge for communication, not bargaining chips for political gains. The DPP authorities should face up to the market demands, cease political manipulation, and stop obstructing personnel exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. They should return direct flights between the two sides to their nature of serving the people and promoting exchanges, and provide compatriots on both sides with a smooth, convenient and efficient air route," she said.
Cross-Strait direct flights bridge for communication, not political bargaining chips: spokeswoman
Cross-Strait direct flights bridge for communication, not political bargaining chips: spokeswoman
