Taitung: Taitung County has set up charter flights to a third Southeast Asian country in the last few months of 2025, this time to and from Malaysia at the end of this year for the New Year holiday, the Taitung County government said Monday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the charter flight services will be provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia and will be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, accommodating approximately 200 passengers, will initially transport Malaysian tourists to Taitung on December 30 and then return to Kuala Lumpur the same day with Taiwanese tourists, departing from Taitung at 12:35 p.m.

Another charter flight will facilitate the return of Taiwanese tourists on January 3, 2026, arriving at 5:30 p.m., and will subsequently transport Malaysian visitors back to Kuala Lumpur that same night. Taitung County Magistrate Yao Ching-ling stated that her team engaged in extensive discussions with Malaysian travel agencies to organize these charter flight services, aiming to enhance the visibility of both regions’ tourism markets.

Yao emphasized that the charter flights are anticipated to significantly reduce travel time for tourists in Taitung and Malaysia by providing a convenient transportation option. Hung Kuo-chin, deputy head of Taitung’s Transportation and Tourism Development Department, led a delegation to Malaysia in June to meet with tourism representatives and present the charter flight plan.

During the visit, Hung signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association National President Patrick Law to initiate the charter flights, establishing a long-term cooperation mechanism. The county government said these charter flights are part of broader efforts to enhance international exchanges and offer overseas visitors a greater appreciation of Taitung’s landscape and cultures.

The charter flight services to Malaysia represent the third initiative of its kind from Taitung to Southeast Asian countries this year, following flights organized to Thailand and Vietnam. On August 30, a round-trip charter flight will be scheduled between Taitung and Ho Chi Minh City, with a similar service planned between Taitung and Chiang Mai in October.