Vladivostok Air finally flies to Taipei (160 words)

Published: 5/8/2001

On 30th April, a Vladivostok Air aircraft initiated services to Taiwan, so opening the first direct air links between Russia and Taiwan. This was a rather low-key event, compared to the fanfair surrounding the launch of Transaero's route sharing with China Airlines. Among the passengers on the return leg of the flight was Chen Che-nan, Deputy Secretary General of Taiwan's Presidential Office although, given the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Chen said that he was visiting Russia simply as a tourist. Under an agreement signed in 1999, Vladivostok Air will undertake two weekly flights to Taipei and, according to local sources, will be joined by Taiwan's TransAsia Airways next month. The flights have taken some time to come about. They were planned for May 2000, after the failure to establish contacts in 1998, and are the result of negotiations that have been underway since 1993.

Article ID: 2520