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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 EVA to start codeshare flights to Panama City
An EVA Airways passenger airplane is seen in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of EVA Air
‘FACILITATING TRAVEL’: The codeshare service would help attract tourists from Central America to Taiwan and other Asian destinations, EVA Airways said in a statement
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
EVA Airways Corp （EVA） yesterday announced that it would start codeshare flights with Panama City-based Copa Airlines, saying that the partnership would help it expand into the Central and South American markets.
The four codeshare routes are Taoyuan-Los Angeles-Panama City, Taoyuan-San Francisco-Panama City, Taoyuan-Chicago-Panama City and Taoyuan-New York-Panama City, the airline said, adding that travelers can book tickets for the flights.
“Copa Airlines’ flight network covers all the major cities in North and South America, and there would be more than 40 flights between Taoyuan and Panama City each week via stops in the US,” the airline said in a statement.
“In addition to facilitating travel arrangements for business and regular travelers, the codeshare flights would help attract tourists from Central America to Taiwan and other Asian nations,” it said.
Panama is mainly known for the Panama Canal, but it also has many tourist attractions, the airline said.
The San Blas Islands in the northeast are a haven for water sports enthusiasts and seafood lovers, while Boquete in the west offers tours of coffee plantations and the Baru Volcano, as well as other outdoor activities, it said.
EVA said that it also offers codeshare flights to El Salvador with Bogota-based Avianca Airlines International.
It would continue evaluating the feasibility of launching codeshare flights with other airlines to other major cities in the Americas so that passengers can have a wider variety of services to choose from, EVA said.
Taiwan and Panama signed an aviation pact in August 1994. EVA was the only Taiwanese airline that offered direct flights to Panama, which launched in 1995.
However, the company canceled the service between Taoyuan and Panama City in June 2000 due to financial losses.
Taiwanese travelers can stay in Panama for up to six months without having to apply for a visa, according to the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Web site.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been working to safeguard the interests of Taiwanese investors and companies that conduct business with Panama, after the Central American nation switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing last year.
Taiwan and Panama have a free-trade agreement that took effect on Jan. 1, 2004, granting tariff-free status to 95 percent of Taiwan’s exports to Panama and 97 percent of Panama-made goods sold to Taiwan, the economic ministry said.
The agreement also focuses on economic and technological cooperation between the two nations, it said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
