PETALING JAYA, July 3 — An airport in Taiwan is offering a chance for tourists to experience air travel amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Without leaving the tarmac, of course.

Songshan Airport in the capital city of Taipei is welcoming passengers on board fake flights complete with an itinerary to check-in, go through passport control and security, and even board the plane, Reuters reported.

Around 60 people got to experience one of the fake flights recently with more excursions scheduled in the coming weeks. 

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The passengers were randomly selected from 7,000 applicants who expressed interest in boarding a plane with no destination.

After checking in, they received boarding passes and passed through security and immigration checkpoints before getting on an Airbus A330 of Taiwan’s largest carrier, China Airlines, where they were greeted by flight attendants in face masks.

 

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“After receiving confirmation that my number had been picked out to attend this event, I thought this was a brilliant idea.

“What’s more, my son also wanted to come along and take a look at the plane,” said Hsiao Chun Wei, 38, who added that her son was elated to take part in the fake flight.

Another woman, who gave her family name as Tsai, said she hoped the pandemic would end soon so people can travel abroad with peace of mind.

Songshan Airport is using the events to demonstrate its Covid-19 safety protocols while showcasing the renovations that took place at the airport while passengers were away.

Taiwan managed to rein in the virus thanks to early prevention measures, with just 448 recorded cases and seven deaths in a population of 23.78 million.