Taiwanese carriers EVA Airways and China Airlines (CAL) on Tuesday both announced plans to increase November services between Shanghai Pudong Airport and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
CAL will roll out weekly Thursday services between Taoyuan and Pudong beginning Nov. 3, with EVA Air starting the same schedule from Nov. 10.
This means there will be a total of seven flights between Shanghai and Taiwan in November, up from the current four to five.
The head of a Shanghai-based Taiwanese business association welcomed news of the increased services, telling CNA that many of those working in the Chinese city keen to travel back to Taiwan had been hampered by a lack of flights.
Despite the newly scheduled flights, he said it was hard to see ticket prices returning to pre-pandemic levels.
A fellow China-based Taiwanese businessperson also shared concerns that a trip home had become prohibitively expensive, with return tickets currently going for around 15,000 Chinese yuan (US$2,061).
In addition, travelers must also shoulder the cost of mandatory quarantine when returning to Shanghai, the businessperson said.
Although Taiwan has lifted the majority of restrictions for inbound travelers, those arriving in China must pay to quarantine for seven days at a government-appointed location, plus another three days at home.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel