Kaohsiung airport flight availability reaches 82% of pre-COVID levels: CAA

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) The Kaohsiung International Airport is experiencing a solid recovery in transport capacity, with the number of international flights this summer reaching 82 percent of the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said Wednesday.

The main gateway in southern Taiwan currently provides 300 flights per week, marking a 46 percent increase from 205 flights last summer, the CAA said in a news release.

According to the CAA, the number of flight routes connecting the airport has also grown from 20 last summer to 25, with three more destinations in Japan -- Okayama, Sapporo and Kumamoto -- expected to be included this winter.

A regional breakdown reveals industry optimism regarding major flight route operations, the CAA pointed out.

For instance, the total number of weekly flights to five major destinations in Japan -- Narita, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa and Nagoya-- has increased from 29 flights last winter to 78 flights this summer, it said.

Similarly, the number of weekly flights to South Korea has increased from three to 32, while the number to Macau has risen from 27 to 95, according to the CAA.