TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's remote Matsu islands will soon gain improved air connectivity as the Lienchiang County Government announced Thursday (April 10) a new regular flight service linking the archipelago with southern Taiwan. Mandarin Airlines (華信航空) will operate weekly Friday flights between Matsu Nangan Airport (馬祖南竿) and Kaohsiung International Airport (高雄國際機場) starting June 6, a development aimed at bolstering tourism to the historically isolated island chain.
Mandarin Airlines has submitted a full fare of NT$3,543 (US$108) to Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration (CAA, 民航局), while offering a discounted offshore island resident price of approximately NT$2,480 (US$76). Ticket sales are expected to begin on the carrier's official website next Tuesday, pending regulatory approval. The airline has made logistical preparations by partnering with state-owned CPC Corporation (台灣中油) to deliver two 2-cubic-meter fuel tanks to Matsu in mid-May, with refueling tests planned on the Taipei Songshan (松山)-Nangan route by month's end.
Local officials plan to showcase the new air route at the upcoming Kaohsiung International Travel Fair (高雄市旅行公會國際旅展) in May, with a formal inaugural ceremony scheduled for the June 6 maiden flight. The connection isn't entirely new to travelers — the Matsu-Kaohsiung route has operated on a limited basis as a charter service since Nov. 6 last year, successfully completing three separate charter operations by February's end.
