TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is not planning to allow flights from more than four airports in China despite the rise in passengers for the Lunar New Year holiday, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said Wednesday (Dec. 28).

At present, 29 flights to Taiwan leave each week from Beijing, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Chengdu, and Xiamen, according to recent reports. The number of passengers flying from China to Taiwan had increased from 6,000 a week to between 8,000 and 10,000 a week, the Liberty Times reported.

While Wang predicted the number would rise further as the Jan. 20-30 Lunar New Year holiday approached, he said the government was not planning to allow flights from any other Chinese airports. Earlier Wednesday, the government confirmed Premier Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) request to conduct COVID-19 PCR tests on travelers arriving from China.

The Cabinet emphasized it was not opening up the country to Chinese tourists, but needed to test any arrivals, including Taiwanese business people returning home for the holidays, amid a massive surge of COVID infections in China.

Wang said China allowing its citizens to travel overseas from Jan. 8 might also result in more flights from Taiwan to China, resulting in easier travel for Taiwanese business people. Only 40% to 50% of seats on cross-strait flights had been booked, so while China’s new measures were expected to lead to more travelers, the supply was still sufficient to address demand, according to the minister.