China Airlines is denied flights to Athens
China Airlines is canceling the direct flights it had planned between Taiwan and Greece this summer, as it has not managed to obtain the necessary license from the Greek Civil Aviation Authority.
The Taipei-based carrier had planned 18 direct flights from June 3 to October 7 in the form of chartered services for which – according to its chief, Chang Yu-Hern – it had received verbal assurance from the Greek Civil Aviation Authority that it would receive a temporary license.
However the latter has not approved the issue of the temporary permit, according to international news reports. Sources say the authority did not get the necessary clearance from the Foreign Ministry in Athens due to the political relationship between Beijing and Taipei.
Since March, China Airlines had been cooperating with six travel agencies (Lion Travel, Cola Tour, Artisan Tour, South East Travel Service, Phoenix Tours and MITravel) for the promotion of its 18 charter flights to Athens. The carrier already operates flights to other European countries including the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, among others, and has a code-sharing agreement with airlines such as KLM.
The carrier is now forwarding its passengers who had booked tickets to Athens via other airlines.
