TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Hong Kong Express will resume charter flights to Hualien following a six-year hiatus, reports said Tuesday (Oct. 8).

The budget airline will start four services per week from Dec. 12, per CNA. The Hualien County Government hopes the flights help the region recover from the April 3 earthquake, which hurt tourism and basic infrastructure.

Hong Kong Express started flying to Hualien in 2016. An earthquake in February 2018 caused the number of passengers to slide, ending with the suspension of services in October of the same year.

From December, the airline will operate four charter flights each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each flight will carry a maximum of 180 passengers.

Talks about the resumption of the flights started in July, followed by a four-day tour of Hualien’s top sights by a delegation in September.

Hong Kong Express sent executives to Hualien on Monday (Oct. 7) to explain their plans to the county government. They said that since the pandemic, young travelers have been interested in exploring outlying regions instead of large cities.