《TAIPEI TIMES》 EVA cancels more long-haul flights

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

EVA Airways Corp （長榮航空） is to announce tomorrow the number of flights to be canceled between Saturday next week and July 10 due to the flight attendants’ strike, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai （王國材） said yesterday, adding that the airline is expected to maintain about 60 percent capacity next month.

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“I know that both the workers and management are getting tired and hope that the strike will end soon. Personally, I pray every day that the strike will end tomorrow,” Wang said, adding that the ministry hopes that the strike will end before Sunday.

Wang spoke to reporters after the ministry held its eighth emergency response meeting yesterday as the strike entered its seventh day.

Due to the strike, the airline canceled 102 of its 178 flights scheduled to depart yesterday, affecting 19,839 passengers, he said, adding that it had managed to maintain 43 percent capacity.

The airline also announced yesterday the flights to be canceled from Monday to Friday next week, with capacity at 59.6 percent.

The increase in capacity next week is not because of about 200 flight attendants who want to return to work and have sought to take back their passports, mainland travel permits for Taiwan residents and employee IDs, Wang said.

“It is because that the airline has canceled long-haul flights, such as those to Vancouver, London and Paris, which need more attendants. It is providing more short-haul flights using bigger aircraft. Flights to Hong Kong, for example, would be offered using the Boeing 777 rather than the Airbus A321,” he said.

EVA has added 15 short-haul flights using bigger aircraft, with each flight increasing its capacity by about 60 seats, he said.

The airline’s transport capacity has been lower this week because flight attendants on international flight duties have yet to return, Wang said.

“Flight attendants should not have any problem returning to work if they take back their passports, employee IDs and mainland travel permits. They can be dispatched to serve on additional flights,” he said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES