Far Eastern Air Transport
Encyclopedia
Far Eastern Air Transport (遠東航空) (FAT) is an airline
based in Taipei
, Taiwan
. Established in 1957, it operated domestic services from Taipei and Kaohsiung
to five regional cities and international services to Southeast Asia
, South Korea
and Palau
. Its main base was Taipei Songshan Airport
. After a chain of financial crises broke out in early 2008, the airline publicly announced its bankruptcy
and stopped all flights on and beyond 13 May 2008. The airline restarted its services on April 18, 2011.
to Palau
and Subic Bay
. It started cargo operations in the Asian region in 2004. The airline had 1,220 employees (at March 2007). Beginning in 2004, FAT invested in the Cambodian airline, Angkor Airways. Angkor Airways subsequently shut down flight operations on May 9, 2009. The chairman, Alex Lou(樓文豪) was put into custody by Cambodian police on May 9, 2009 for his alleged breach of trust.
Due to the ever-rising fuel prices and Taiwan High Speed Rail
's inauguration, the airline suffered financial losses since early 2007 and the situation was seriously worsened by poor financial management and risky investments. On 13 February 2008 FAT failed to pay the USD 848,000 it owed to the International Clearing House, a financial subsidiary of IATA, and IATA cancelled the airline's membership as a result. Although a local court granted FAT's restructuring
application on 23 February 2008, in the next three months it still failed to obtain the necessary funds and the company's bankruptcy protection expired on 22 May. FAT had stopped paying employee salaries but the staff were still on duty as of May 2008 because they wanted to try to save the company but some were saying they could not hold on much longer.
On November 27, 2010, an MD-83 (aircraft registration number: B-28025) of FAT began flight test at Taipei Songshan Airport
at 10am. The plane successfully landed and returned to the airport at 12:20pm. The aviation authority in Taiwan granted a test flight license to FAT but required an additional test flight and $50 million New Taiwan Dollar
as deposit before the re-granting an airline operating license. The airline restarted its services on April 18, 2011.
Far Eastern Air Transport currently operates the following services (as of July 2011)
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. Established in 1957, it operated domestic services from Taipei and Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
to five regional cities and international services to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
. Its main base was Taipei Songshan Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
. After a chain of financial crises broke out in early 2008, the airline publicly announced its bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and stopped all flights on and beyond 13 May 2008. The airline restarted its services on April 18, 2011.
History
The airline was established in 1957 and started operations in November 1957. It originally focused on charter flights until the introduction of scheduled services in January 1965. For the next 30 years this carrier was the No. 1 brand in Taiwanese domestic routes and was granted the right to fly regular international flights in 1996, from Kaohsiung International AirportKaohsiung International Airport
Kaohsiung International Airport , also known as Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport for the Siaogang District where it is located, is a medium-sized commercial airport located in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan...
to Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
and Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
. It started cargo operations in the Asian region in 2004. The airline had 1,220 employees (at March 2007). Beginning in 2004, FAT invested in the Cambodian airline, Angkor Airways. Angkor Airways subsequently shut down flight operations on May 9, 2009. The chairman, Alex Lou(樓文豪) was put into custody by Cambodian police on May 9, 2009 for his alleged breach of trust.
Due to the ever-rising fuel prices and Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately along the west coast of the Republic of China from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung...
's inauguration, the airline suffered financial losses since early 2007 and the situation was seriously worsened by poor financial management and risky investments. On 13 February 2008 FAT failed to pay the USD 848,000 it owed to the International Clearing House, a financial subsidiary of IATA, and IATA cancelled the airline's membership as a result. Although a local court granted FAT's restructuring
Restructuring
Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs...
application on 23 February 2008, in the next three months it still failed to obtain the necessary funds and the company's bankruptcy protection expired on 22 May. FAT had stopped paying employee salaries but the staff were still on duty as of May 2008 because they wanted to try to save the company but some were saying they could not hold on much longer.
On November 27, 2010, an MD-83 (aircraft registration number: B-28025) of FAT began flight test at Taipei Songshan Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
at 10am. The plane successfully landed and returned to the airport at 12:20pm. The aviation authority in Taiwan granted a test flight license to FAT but required an additional test flight and $50 million New Taiwan Dollar
New Taiwan dollar
The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
as deposit before the re-granting an airline operating license. The airline restarted its services on April 18, 2011.
Destinations
- Cambodia
- Siem ReapSiem ReapSiem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market...
- Angkor International AirportAngkor International AirportSiem Reap International Airport is the airport in Cambodia handling the greatest number of passengers. It is located in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat.The full architecture design of the airport was developed by Archetype Group...
charter
- Siem Reap
- China
- TaiyuanTaiyuanTaiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
- Wusu Airport - ShijiazhuangShijiazhuangShijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
- Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport
- Taiyuan
- Philippines
- CebuCebuCebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
- Cebu Airport charter
- Cebu
- Taiwan
- KinmenKinmenKinmen , also known as Quemoy , is a small archipelago of several islands administered by the Republic of China : Greater Kinmen, Lesser Kinmen, and some islets. Administratively, it is Kinmen County of Fujian Province, ROC. The county is claimed by the People's Republic of China as part of its...
- Kinmen AirportKinmen AirportKinmen Airport or Shang Yi Airport is a civilian airport serving Kinmen, Fujian Province, Republic of China . It was built in 1994 as a civilian airport located at Shang-I, to the northeastern side of the original military airport... - MakungMakungMakung is the county seat of Penghu, in Taiwan Province, Taiwan . Makung is on the western part of the main Penghu Island....
- Magong Airport - TaipeiTaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
- Songshan Airport Hubs
- Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
- Kinmen
- Vietnam
- Da NangDa NangĐà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
- Da Nang International AirportDa Nang International AirportDa Nang International Airport is located in Da Nang, the largest city in central Vietnam. It is the third international airport in the country, besides Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport , and is an important gateway to access central Vietnam.In addition to its...
charter
- Da Nang
Former destination
- Indonesia: Bali
- Malaysia: Kota Kinabalu
- North Korea: Pyongyang
- Palau - Koror
- Philippines: Laoag
- South Korea : Busan, Jeju, Seoul
- Taiwan: Hualien, Kaohsiung, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tainan, Taitung
- Vietnam : Hanoi
Fleet
The Far Eastern Air Transport fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of Aug 2011):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Fixing | Order | Passengers (Economy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD-82 | 2 | 3 | - | 165 |
| MD-83 | 2 | 1 | - | 143 |
| Boeing 757 | - | 2 | - | 178 |
| Airbus A320 | - | - | 3~5 | TBA |
| Total | 4 | 6 | 3~5 |
Incidents and accidents
- On 15 February 1969, Douglas C-47B B-241 was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident at Kaohsiung International AirportKaohsiung International AirportKaohsiung International Airport , also known as Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport for the Siaogang District where it is located, is a medium-sized commercial airport located in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan...
, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. - On 24 February 1969, Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104On 24 February 1969, Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104, a short-haul flight from from Kaohsiung International Airport to Taipei Songshan Airport, Taiwan, was flown by a Handley Page Dart Herald with 32 passengers and 4 crew on board. Ten minutes after take-off, the aircraft's port-side engine...
, a Handley Page Dart HeraldHandley Page Dart HeraldThe Handley Page Dart Herald was a 1950s British turboprop passenger aircraft.-Design and development:In the mid 1950s the Handley Page Aircraft Company developed a new fast short-range regional airliner, intended to replace the venerable Douglas DC-3, particularly in third-world countries...
, crashed near Tainan City. All 36 passengers and crew on board were killed. - On 24 April 1969, Douglas C-47A B-251 was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident at Phanitet Airport, Vietnam. All 31 passengers and crew survived.
- On 20 February 1970, Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
B-243 crashed into a mountain shortly after take-off from Sung Shan Airport, TaipeiTaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. The aircraft was operating a cargo flight, both crew were killed. - On 7 October 1974, a Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
was the subject of an attempted hijacking. The hijacker was overpowered and the aircraft landed at its intended destination of Taipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
. - On 31 July 1975, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
B-2029 of Far Eastern Air Transport crashed at Taipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
killing 27 of the 75 people on board. - On 16 April 1977, Douglas C-47A B-247 was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident at Tainan AirportTainan AirportTainan Airport is a commercial airport located in South District, Tainan City, Taiwan. It is shared with Republic of China Air Force Tainan AFB. In January 2011, the Civil Aeronautics Administration approved the airport to handle international flights in the future.It is the third busiest...
. - On 26 August 1980, Bouraq Indonesia AirlinesBouraq Indonesia AirlinesBouraq Indonesia Airlines, often shortened to Bouraq Airlines or just Bouraq, was an airline headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, which operated mostly domestic passenger flights out of its bases at Jakarta Airport and Balikpapan Airport....
Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
PK-IVS suffered an in-flight failure of the starboard elevator and crashed 26 kilometres (16.2 mi) north east of JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
killing all 37 people on board. The Viscount was leased from FAT - On 22 August 1981, Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103Far East Air Transport Flight 103 , a Boeing 737-222, had just departed Taipei Songshan Airport for Kaohsiung when the aircraft broke apart in mid-air 14 minutes after take-off....
, a Boeing 737Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
, broke up in flight. Severe corrosion in the fuselage structure led to an explosive decompression and breakup at high altitude. All 110 on board were killed.