RI suspends Taiwan flights

RI suspends Taiwan flights

TAIPEI (AFP): Indonesia has announced a suspension of chartered flight services by Taiwan's Mandarin Airlines after aviation negotiations between the two governments became deadlocked, the airline said Wednesday.

Mandarin, a subsidiary of Taipei-based China Airlines, would stop its twice-weekly chartered passenger flights between Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan and Indonesia's resort island of Bali from Thursday, the company said in a statement.

The carrier had served the route since February with a Boeing 737-800, it said.

Its competitor UNI Airway from Taiwan, which also runs a twice-weekly chartered service on the same route, might also have to stop its flights in July.

"The chartered flight permission (from Indonesia) is given on a monthly basis...UNI has not received the permit for July," said a UNI spokeswoman.

In negotiations last month between aviation authorities of the two countries, Indonesia had asked for a reduction in the number of Taiwanese flights but the request was rejected by Taiwan.