TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — StarLux Airlines said its staff would receive pay rises averaging 5% as Taiwan prepares to end mandatory quarantine for arriving visitors, reports said Saturday (Sept. 17).

The Central Epidemic Command Center expected local COVID-19 infections to peak in late September before dropping off in October. While no official timetable has been announced, media reports suggest the mandatory three-day quarantine for arriving travelers might be abolished sometime after early October.

During the height of the pandemic over the past three years, salaries at StarLux were frozen, but now that international travel is starting to resume, the company is introducing raises for 70% to 80% of its staff in September, CNA reported.

StarLux said it had acquired 13 new airplanes, while the introduction of new routes had led to its personnel expanding from 1,500 last year to 1,900 at present, with a total of more than 2,000 expected by year’s end.