President Lai's Visit Abroad on King of Eswatini's Special Plane; Scholar: A340 Model Has Advantages
President Lai Ching-te returned to Taiwan today after concluding his visit to ally Eswatini, utilizing the King of Eswatini's special A340 aircraft. Scholars noted the A340's four-engine advantage for safety and the chosen flight path's ability to avoid politically sensitive areas.
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- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 18:55
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Yu Hsiao-han, Taipei, 5th) President Lai Ching-te concluded his visit to ally Eswatini this morning and returned to Taiwan. Scholars believe that President Lai's return flight path avoided politically sensitive issues, and the King of Eswatini's special plane, an A340 model, has four engines, which can reduce some risks.
The King of Eswatini, Mswati III's special plane is an Airbus A340 model, originally a passenger aircraft belonging to China Airlines. It was delivered in 2001, retired from China Airlines in 2015, and sold in June 2016. Ho Nuan-hsuan, then chairman of China Airlines, said that according to the signed sales contract, China Airlines must be responsible for training Eswatini's maintenance technicians, flight attendants, and other personnel.
President Lai was originally scheduled to visit Eswatini on April 22, but the trip was postponed due to three African countries canceling flight permits. Subsequently, President Lai successfully flew to Eswatini on the King of Eswatini's special plane for a state visit, and also returned to Taiwan on this special plane, with the return route challenging the A340 passenger aircraft's "extreme range."
Professor Huang Tai-lin of Chang Jung Christian University's Department of Aviation Management analyzed that this flight path took a detour to the south, avoiding some flight information regions, thus circumventing politically sensitive issues. Additionally, the A340 has four engines, so if one engine encounters an emergency, there are still three available, which can avoid the problem of engine failure in twin-engine aircraft, making it relatively safer. (Edited by Chen Ching-fang) 1150505
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(Central News Agency reporter Yu Hsiao-han, Taipei, 5th) President Lai Ching-te concluded his visit to ally Eswatini this morning and returned to Taiwan. Scholars believe that President Lai's return flight path avoided politically sensitive issues, and the King of Eswatini's special plane, an A340 model, has four engines, which can reduce some risks.
The King of Eswatini, Mswati III's special plane is an Airbus A340 model, originally a passenger aircraft belonging to China Airlines. It was delivered in 2001, retired from China Airlines in 2015, and sold in June 2016. Ho Nuan-hsuan, then chairman of China Airlines, said that according to the signed sales contract, China Airlines must be responsible for training Eswatini's maintenance technicians, flight attendants, and other personnel.
President Lai was originally scheduled to visit Eswatini on April 22, but the trip was postponed due to three African countries canceling flight permits. Subsequently, President Lai successfully flew to Eswatini on the King of Eswatini's special plane for a state visit, and also returned to Taiwan on this special plane, with the return route challenging the A340 passenger aircraft's "extreme range."
Professor Huang Tai-lin of Chang Jung Christian University's Department of Aviation Management analyzed that this flight path took a detour to the south, avoiding some flight information regions, thus circumventing politically sensitive issues. Additionally, the A340 has four engines, so if one engine encounters an emergency, there are still three available, which can avoid the problem of engine failure in twin-engine aircraft, making it relatively safer. (Edited by Chen Ching-fang) 1150505
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
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The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.