Taiwan arranges flights for tourists stranded in Okinawa

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists stranded in Okinawa following cruise ship maintenance issues return home by Tuesday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced Monday.

According to the ministry, China Airlines and EVA Air have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan.

The flights, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, were coordinated by Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs.

The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Dec. 4 for Okinawa, with planned stops at Miyako Island, Naha and Ishigaki Island. It was set to return to Taiwan on Sunday.

However, technical issues disrupted the schedule, leaving the ship stranded in Naha on Okinawa's main island. Consequently, the stop at Ishigaki Island was canceled.

Passengers who arranged their own transportation from Naha can claim compensation of up to US$400 if they traveled outside Japan and up to US$200 for domestic travel within Japan, according to the cruise operator.

Furthermore, a separate trip of 2,080 passengers scheduled to board the MSC Bellissima in Keelung on Sunday was canceled. The cruise operator said it had informed all those affected on Saturday.

To compensate for the disruption, the operator promised full refunds to all impacted passengers. It will also provide a voucher worth up to 50 percent of the ticket value that will be valid until Dec. 31, 2025.