Taiwan Funds Air Pacific Charter

[MWAIE]

Taiwan Ambassador to Kiribati Samuel Chen has provided $1,574,380 to
Kiribati's Minister of Transport Patrick Tatireta to maintain Air
Pacific charters connecting Nadi, Fiji and Honolulu, Hawaii to the
remote Linnix (Line and Phoenix) capital, Kiritimati Island.

The air service will enable travelers from the national capital Tarawa
to reach Kiritimati and vice versa. Air Pacific also flies twice
weekly between Nadi and Tarawa.

Chen said this is the second donation of its kind by Taiwan. When the
charter operated between October 2005 and May 2007, Taiwan also footed
the bill.

The agreement between Kiribati government and Air Pacific expired last
year. But Taiwan came to the rescue again to maintain the service from
June 2007 through March this year--an eight-month period.

The charter costs the Kiribati government $73,000 per week, as the
service is weekly.

The Nadi/Kiritimati/Honolulu connection is vital for the government of
Kiribati, according to Chen.

"It's a vehicle for government, individuals, business people and
visitors to connect between the national capital and the remote Linnix
Group," Chen said. "It also helps a lot in the development of the
Linnix." The charter service is one of the only two--the other is Our
Airline from Nauru--that connects Kiribati and the outside world.

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/03/07/taiwan-funds-air-pacific-charter