Songshan-Haneda flights slated for Oct. 2010

Civil aviation officials from the two countries reached agreement on the proposal raised by Taiwanese officials at a recent meeting in Tokyo, the MOFA official said.

The two airports would begin exchanging flights in October next year, once construction of a fourth runway at the Tokyo airport has been completed, he said. By that time, four aviation companies based in Taiwan and Japan would offer regular flights between the two destinations, he added.

The Japanese side hoped Taipei's Songshan Airport could also expand its runways so as to accommodate airplanes capable of carrying over 200 passengers, according to the official.

Tokyo's Haneda Airport serves almost all domestic flights and a limited number of international flights, while Taipei's Songshan airport serves domestic and cross-Taiwan Strait flights at present.

Japan Airlines (JAL) President and CEO Haruka Nishimatsu, who was visiting Taiwan, was quoted as being keen to welcome Songshan-Haneda flights as they would reduce travel time between the two cities, according to the MOFA official.

JAL currently operates eight regular daily flights between Taiwan and Japan, carrying more than 900,000 passengers between the two countries in 2008. China Airlines (CAL) , Taiwan's largest carrier, transported about 1.6 million travelers between Taiwan and Japan over the same period.

Establishment of two-way flights between Taipei Songshan Airport and Tokyo Haneda Airport was one of President Ma Ying-jeou's campaign promises before he assumed office in May last year.

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