MIA making strategic push for direct Asia passenger service

MIAMI - Miami-Dade Aviation Director (MDAD) Emilio T. Gonzalez traveled to Taipei, Taiwan last week to hold a series of one-on-one meetings with key Asian airline executives and government officials to discuss Miami-Asia passenger service. The official visit was just the latest step in Miami International Airport’s long-term effort to establish the Miami-Asia travel connection – a goal that is in direct keeping with the airport’s strategic development plans. It also comes at a time when Asian interest and investment in Miami are growing. Gonzalez was joined in Taiwan – also known as the Republic of China – by MIA’s Director of Marketing, Chris Mangos, who heads the airport’s year-round route development efforts.

“I applaud Director Gonzalez and his team for taking the initiative to directly pursue air service that connects our community to the massive Asian market,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Expanding international trade, tourism and business are priorities of my administration and these outreach efforts are right in line with those goals.”

Gonzalez’ busy agenda included meetings with airline executives from the Republic of China’s flag carrier China Airlines, which is based at Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, and with Taiwan-based EVA Air. The MDAD Director met with two of China Airlines’ top officials: Senior Vice President Hsiao-Hsing Tung and Assistant Vice President for Corporate Development Alex Tung. The carrier’s cargo division, China Airlines Cargo, is the first – and longest running – Asian carrier to operate at MIA and has done so since 1997. He also met with Andrew Su, Deputy Senior Vice President for Corporate Planning for EVA Air, which was recently rated among the top 10 airlines in the world by industry group AirlineRatings.com. Additionally, Gonzalez met with the Senior Vice President of Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, Jerry Dann. Like MIA, Taoyuan is a leading world hub for both international passengers and international freight traffic.

Gonzalez also met with numerous Taiwanese government leaders whose agencies regulate and support aviation, including: the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration (equivalent to the Federal Aviation Administration); the Taipei Customs Administration; the National Immigration Agency; the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry for Economic Affairs; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gonzalez was also briefed on Taiwan’s political and economic landscape by the American Institute in Taiwan, a private non-profit that handles U.S. diplomatic functions in the Republic of China.

“Our MIA team is being very deliberate in its efforts to bring direct Asia passenger service to Miami for the first time,” said Gonzalez. “Traveling to this untapped market and holding face-to-face meetings with high-level decision-makers is essential to the process, and it puts Miami squarely on the radar of these expanding Asian carriers. Taipei is a natural Asian hub that offers travelers easy access to the Chinese mainland, Southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan, so connecting it with MIA’s Latin America-Caribbean gateway makes perfect sense.”

sourced:traveldailynews.asia