Cross-Strait aviation took another step toward normalisation this afternoon as Spring Airlines restarted its Kaohsiung–Ningbo service after a four-year suspension. The twice-weekly flights (Tuesdays and Saturdays) cut end-to-end journey time from more than five hours with a connection in Xiamen or Hong Kong to barely 120 minutes gate-to-gate. For manufacturers operating in Taiwan’s southern export hub and in Zhejiang’s supply-chain corridor, the schedule offers a same-day out-and-back option that was impossible during the pandemic period. The resumption follows Beijing’s 10-point April package that used air links, trade facilitation and cultural exchanges to lure Taiwanese corporates back to the mainland market. China Eastern reopened Taichung–Chengdu on 1 July and Shandong Airlines will follow with Taichung–Qingdao on 23 July, signalling a phased rebuild of the 61 authorised cross-Strait routes. Travel agents in Taichung report group-tour bookings to Sichuan now run “several months ahead”, while Spring Airlines says ticket sales on the Ningbo sector have been “brisk since presales opened”. For business travellers the direct service restores a crucial link between two specialised industrial clusters: Kaohsiung’s petro-chemicals, metals and emerging semiconductor packaging base, and Ningbo’s automotive, port-logistics and appliance manufacturing belt. Door-to-door transit via the airlines’ through-check agreements means cargo samples and urgent replacement parts can reach factory floors on the same day, shaving at least 24 hours off previous routings. Immigration processing remains unchanged—Taiwan residents still need the Mainland Travel Permit and a valid flight authorisation—but passengers avoid transit security checks and exit-entry formalities in a third location.
![Direct Kaohsiung–Ningbo flights resume, shrinking cross-Strait travel time to two hours]()
For travellers who need assistance navigating these entry requirements, VisaHQ’s China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers an end-to-end visa and permit procurement service, including help with Mainland Travel Permits, business visas and documentation for accompanying cargo samples, ensuring paperwork keeps pace with the newly accelerated flight schedules.
Taiwanese chambers of commerce on the mainland expect traffic to rebound quickly once the busy summer production season begins, particularly if further routes such as Xian and Lanzhou—requested by Taiwan Affairs Office officials—are restored later this quarter.
For travellers who need assistance navigating these entry requirements, VisaHQ’s China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers an end-to-end visa and permit procurement service, including help with Mainland Travel Permits, business visas and documentation for accompanying cargo samples, ensuring paperwork keeps pace with the newly accelerated flight schedules.
Taiwanese chambers of commerce on the mainland expect traffic to rebound quickly once the busy summer production season begins, particularly if further routes such as Xian and Lanzhou—requested by Taiwan Affairs Office officials—are restored later this quarter.
