Israel, Taiwan signed aviation pact

The agreement establishes the commercial aviation rights allowing carriers from the two countries to use each other's air space
 
Israel and Taiwan signed last week an aviation agreement that will pave the way for direct air links between the two countries.
 
The accord which was inked in Tel Aviv, will, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOFA, also help boost bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation.
 
The pact, called the Air Transportation Agreement between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv and the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (ISECO), was signed at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv by Chang Liang-jen, Taiwan's representative in Israel, and his Israeli counterpart, Simona Halperin, on behalf of their respective governments.
 
The agreement establishes the commercial aviation rights allowing carriers from the two countries to use each other's air space and covered other details related to cooperation between carriers and the handling of airline operations.
 
According to government statistics, Taiwan-Israel trade totaled NT$28.1 billion (US$927.4 million) in the first eight months of 2011, up more than 17% from the year-earlier level.
 
Lin Jinn-jong, director-general of MOFA's Department of West Asian Affairs, noted that two-way trade will increase further after the inauguration of bilateral direct air links in the near future.
 
He emphasized that the mutual agreement is a rare achievement, especially as both sides lack official diplomatic relations. The agreement helps remove legal barriers and paves the way for Taiwanese airlines to operate in Israeli air space, Lin noted.
 
Currently, around 7,000 to 8,000 visitors from both sides travel between Taiwan and Israel annually, he said, adding that the pact is expected to further boost the number. The two Taiwanese airlines Eva Air and China Airlines said Tuesday they have no immediate plans to open direct routes to Israel. China Airlines noted, however, it will evaluate the possibility of adding Israel to its destinations.