ANA runs first Taiwan-Japan flight in three months

It was the first Taipei-Japan flight in three months, since routes were suspended in May due to the pandemic. Last month Japan''s government reached an agreement with Taiwan to reopen borders to business travelers.

Pushing a cart with bags big and small, this Japanese expat in Taiwan is ready to fly home to attend to pressing business.

Passenger

It was sometime around last month. Around mid-July. We wanted to go back, but it happened to be a bad time.

Passenger

I am so relieved that today''s flight was not canceled. This means the rest of my arrangements can proceed smoothly.

They''re decked out in protective gear, determined to catch this flight despite virus fears. Due to the COVID epidemic, Taiwan''s borders were sealed shut, with Japanese airlines suspending their flights. This is the first flight to Japan in the three months since May 8. Full biosafety protocols were in place, starting from partitions at the ticketing counter.

Lin Shan-ting

FTV reporter

We''re here in the cabin of the plane. We saw that as soon as the plane landed, it was boarded by the entire cleaning crew, which is conducting a complete disinfection of the windows and seats.

The cabin area was thoroughly disinfected before the flight. Even the flight attendants were out in force. Wearing gloves, they scrubbed away with alcohol pads, sanitizing surfaces like restroom door handles. It was to prevent virus spread and to put passengers at ease on the first day of Taiwan-Japan flights.

Landing in Taipei amid rain and wind, the first round-trip ANA flight coincided with Tropical Storm Hagupit. Its arrival in Taiwan was scheduled for noon but delayed a half hour due to the storm. On Day 1, the carrier brought 50 arrivals and left with 100 passengers. ANA plans to operate two round-trip flights a week on this popular route, which previously saw 14 flights a week. It''s a small step toward easing border restrictions, with full service to resume only after the pandemic ends.