SHANGHAI: China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines said on Tuesday they had canceled 176 round-trip flights to Taiwan that had been added to their schedules to meet demand over the Lunar New Year, amid a row between Beijing and Taiwan over flight routes.
The airlines said in separate statements they had no choice but to cancel the trips after what they said was a refusal by Taiwanese authorities to approve the flights.
This month China opened several new air routes, including a northbound route up the Taiwan Strait that divides China from the island. Taiwan says it was done without its agreement, contravening what the democratic government in Taipei has said was a 2015 deal to first discuss such flight paths.
In response, self-governed Taiwan has withheld approval of routine applications from China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines, majority owned by China Southern Airlines, to add Lunar New Year flights because the airlines had used the disputed air routes.
Taiwan has expressed concern the new routes are too close to existing routes that link it to airports on two groups of Taiwan-controlled islands lying close to China, and are a threat to flight safety. China says there is no safety threat.
China considers Taiwan a wayward province, and relations have cooled since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party took office as Taiwan’s president in 2016.
“We express our strong dissatisfaction and condemnation of the Taiwan authorities, who disregard public opinion and cling obstinately to their course,” China Eastern said.
The airline apologized to customers and said it was providing free refunds and rebooking for anyone booked on the now-canceled flights.
Xiamen Airlines urged “relevant Taiwan authorities to proceed from the standpoint of the well-being of people on both sides of the Strait, comply with popular wishes, meet the urgent needs of the people, and not artificially obstruct the return home of Taiwan compatriots.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, Taiwan’s transportation minister, Ho Chen Tan, said that the government did not force the airlines to cancel their flights.
“We never said that we wouldn’t approve of the added flights by China Eastern or Xiamen Airlines. All along we said we hope that the situation can meet the needs of travelers and that we can all discuss an appropriate arrangement for the added flights,” Ho said.
“At this time, they said themselves they don’t want to apply. It’s not at all that we said we didn’t agree for them to apply,” Ho added.
With air fares rising before the Lunar New Year, Taiwan’s transportation ministry said it would try its best to help Taiwanese return home over the holiday.
China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines cancel Taiwan flights amid routes row
China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines cancel Taiwan flights amid routes row
Global investors commit more than $3bn to King Salman Park as Saudi giga-project secures new deals
RIYADH: The King Salman Park Foundation has secured more than $3.8 billion in new private-sector commitments at the MIPIM 2026 real estate conference, including a landmark $3 billion fund backed by international investors to develop a major mixed-use district in the heart of Riyadh.
According to a press release, the announcements bring total committed investment in the 17.2 sq. kilometers urban regeneration project to over $5.3 billion across five major packages.
Launched in 2019 under Saudi Vision 2030, the development is designed to be the world’s largest city park and aims to boost green space, improve quality of life, and feature over 1 million trees and extensive leisure facilities.
A $3 billion metro-connected district
The largest of the two packages, designated Package 5, will see a consortium led by Kolaghassi Development Co. deliver a residential-led district with a total built-up area exceeding 1 million sq. meters.
It will provide approximately 3,700 residential units, a K–12 school, around 300 hospitality keys and more than 100,000 sq m of Grade A office space alongside a wide variety of retail and dining offerings.
The development is supported by a Saudi-domiciled, Capital Market Authority-regulated fund managed by Mulkia Investment Co. that has attracted leading investors from the Kingdom and across the world.
Kolaghassi Development Co. will lead the project alongside Al Othaim Investment, one of the Kingdom’s real estate players, and RXR, a New York-headquartered real estate investor and operator.
“Securing investment of this scale, supported by international capital and expertise, is an important milestone for King Salman Park,” said George Tanasijevich, CEO of King Salman Park Foundation.
$850 million cultural district package
In a separate announcement, the Foundation confirmed the award of Package 4 to a consortium led by Retal Urban Development Co., with support from a fund managed by SAB Invest.
The project has a total value exceeding $850 million and will host more than 600 residential units, over 140 hotel keys, and almost 50,000 sq m of Grade A office space, alongside curated retail and food and beverage experiences.
“This opportunity reflects the maturity of Saudi Arabia’s real estate investment landscape and our confidence in culture-led, mixed-use urban destinations as a driver of sustainable returns,” said Abdullah Al-Braikan, CEO and founder of Retal Urban Development Co.
Ali Al-Mansour, CEO of SAB Invest, said the fund structure brings together “long-term capital, experienced development partners, and a shared commitment to place-making excellence” while contributing to Riyadh’s cultural vibrancy and the Kingdom’s quality-of-life ambitions under Vision 2030.
