From commercial pilot training and offshore wind maintenance to a booming drone industry, Taiwan’s aviation sector is taking flight on multiple fronts.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY NEIL ARMSTRONG

To glimpse the future, one need only look to the skies.

An expanding corps of Taiwan-trained commercial pilots, together with a surge of private and government investment in the research, design, and construction of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), military training jets, and commercial air services, is ushering in a new chapter for the island’s aviation industry.

These trends have converged swiftly, driving advances in domestic aviation technology and production while fueling a growing demand for highly trained pilots across Asia. For many Taiwanese, a commercial pilot’s license is now seen as a passport to a lucrative career, drawing newcomers into the cockpit.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, global tourism and business travel have begun to rebound. Rising air traffic has created a pressing need for professional pilots worldwide. The demand is particularly pressing in Asia, where air travel is expanding faster than in any other region. According to the International Air Transport Association, the Asia-Pacific region leads global passenger traffic growth with a 9.4% year-over-year increase and commands 33.5% of the world’s air passenger market, with Europe a distant second at 26.7%.

There’s been no shortage of new routes out of Taiwan. In the last year alone, Taiwan’s aviation market has seen a steady flow of new route announcements from both local and foreign carriers, expanding long-haul and regional connectivity.

Full-service airlines have targeted key North American gateways, with China Airlines confirming a new Taipei-Phoenix service set to begin in December 2025 and Starlux adding Ontario, California, in June 2025 while preparing to launch Phoenix in early 2026. EVA Air has strengthened its U.S. footprint with plans for a Taipei-Dallas/Fort Worth route starting in October 2025. These additions complement growing links to Japan and Korea, with major carriers tapping into rising tourism and business travel demand.

Budget airlines have been equally active, especially in the short-haul leisure market. Tigerair Taiwan has been the most aggressive, announcing services to multiple Japanese cities — including Tottori, Obihiro, Oita, Kobe, and Ishigaki — as well as new seasonal flights to Korea’s Jeju island from both Kaohsiung and Taichung. AirAsia introduced a Kota Kinabalu-Kaohsiung connection, while T’way Air entered the market with a Jeju-Kaohsiung route. Together, these low-cost carriers are deepening Taiwan’s access to popular tourist destinations across Northeast and Southeast Asia, underscoring the continuing strength of regional budget travel.

These routes are driving new aircraft orders. In 2025 alone, Taiwan’s three major carriers have announced several substantial fleet refreshes. China Airlines confirmed orders for five A350‑900 long‑haul and eight A321neo aircraft, EVA Air placed firm orders for six A350‑1000s and three A321neos, and Starlux Airlines now has 30 aircraft on order — including additional A350‑1000s and freighters — having signed for 10 more A350‑1000s at the June Paris Air Show, according to several media reports.

Of course, more flights and more aircraft will require more pilots and crew to keep them in the air.

Enter Apex Flight Academy, Taiwan’s only Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) registered commercial flight school. Headquartered in Taipei and with a flight base in Taitung, the academy has been in operation since 2014, focusing on training pilots for commercial aviation. Its parent company, Apex Aviation, has recorded steady growth in enrollment for its Commercial Pilot License (CPL) programs in recent years.

Apex’s close partnerships with local airlines, including Tigerair Taiwan, Mandarin Airlines, and Starlux, have seen many Apex alums secure pilot positions with partners. This continued success has helped gradually reverse a long-standing trend of Taiwanese flight students opting to study abroad.

“Aspiring pilots in Taiwan have become more selective when evaluating training providers,” says Honor Hung, director of the Sales & Marketing Division at Apex Aviation. “Beyond cost and program duration, many now place greater value on how training prepares them for job market competitiveness.”

Beyond training commercial pilots, Apex also operates aerial sightseeing tours, skydiving services, and emergency air medical flights, giving students hands-on experience that enhances their skills and boosts their long-term employability.

Building a hub

With these developments comes the hope that Taiwan can position itself as a potential flight training hub for Asia. While countries such as Malaysia have had a head start — bolstered by the presence of carriers like AirAsia — Taiwan offers distinct advantages.

Ranked among the top 10 in the 2024 Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index and consistently rated one of Asia’s safest societies by Numbeo’s Crime Index, Taiwan combines openness to international exchange with a relatively affordable cost of living, strengthening its case for attracting more overseas flight cadets. Its compact geography enables stricter airspace management and more efficient allocation of training resources, which in turn demands higher-than-average standards from students. The result is a pipeline of graduates whose skills exceed commercial aviation requirements.

Apex is attracting cadets from France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Vietnam, with Vietnam emerging as one of its fastest-growing markets. Since 2023, Apex has been authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to offer a full suite of licenses — from private pilot and instrument ratings to commercial, airline transport, flight instructor, and multi-crew cooperation certifications.

Further amplifying its appeal, Apex partners with the highly regarded Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia to offer a degree program for aspiring pilots.

Still, the climb isn’t without headwinds. Private flying is one area where Taiwan still lags. In much of the world, private pilot licenses and flight clubs are commonplace, often serving as an entry point to commercial aviation careers.

For decades, much of Taiwan’s airspace was tightly controlled by the military, with limited access for civilian aviation. This restriction, rooted in the island’s security concerns and proximity to contested airspace, meant private flying opportunities were scarce.

In recent years, however, the government has begun gradually easing these controls, designating specific corridors and training zones for civilian use — a move aimed at fostering general aviation and supporting the growth of flight training. Hung notes that cadets in Apex’s commercial pilot training programs currently outnumber CPL students by roughly nine to one, but he anticipates that gap will narrow.

Apex’s decision to base its flight training in Taitung, on Taiwan’s quieter east coast, has proven strategic. The area offers open airspace, light air traffic, and varied flying terrain — from open ocean and rugged coastline to mountain ranges — giving cadets valuable real-world experience. Generally stable weather supports consistent training schedules, while a state-of-the-art on-site simulator allows students to log additional hours toward their licenses under an instructor’s supervision.

Turbines and rotors

At first glance, helicopters and wind turbines might seem like an uneasy pairing — how good of an idea is it to set two sets of fast-spinning blades in close proximity? But as Taiwan’s offshore wind industry expands, so does the need for fast, efficient maintenance. Boats are slow and often hazardous to disembark from in open seas; helicopters can reach multiple turbines quickly and safely.

Offshore wind turbine maintenance is a highly specialized niche in aviation, demanding extensive training and experience. Pilots in command typically need up to 2,000 flight hours, co-pilots about 500, and hoist or winch operators more than 100. Crews must also complete offshore survival training to prepare for the unique environmental challenges of working at sea.

The government has set an ambitious target of deploying over 700 offshore wind turbines by 2025 to achieve roughly 5.7 GW of capacity — a substantial goal, considering that as of late 2024 only 374 turbines and approximately 3.04 GW of capacity had been installed.

Angel Soria, director of flight operations at HeliService Taiwan, notes the unique challenges for maintenance teams. “For much of the year, large swells make it impossible to reach the turbines by vessel, so helicopters are essential,” he says. “Taiwan is one of the best locations in the world for this type of business.”

HeliService Taiwan, a joint venture with German offshore specialist HeliService International GmbH, has operated since 2022. “HeliService works for wind park operators in the North Sea, and when those same companies began building wind farms in Taiwan, we immediately offered our services to support their operations,” Soria says.

The country’s first foreign helicopter operator, HeliService Taiwan faced a rigorous process to secure its Air Operator Certificate (AOC). “The Civil Aviation Authority of Taiwan (CAAT) always looks for excellence, and every single manual and procedure was scrutinized before we received approval,” Soria says.

Obtaining the AOC took more than a year and involved several phases, including operator manual approvals, tabletop exercises, and proving flights. During those flights, CAAT inspectors on board introduced various scenarios to test whether the company’s procedures were in place and to observe how crews and other personnel responded, demonstrating both proficiency and compliance.

With only a small number of civil helicopters in Taiwan dedicated to search and rescue, helicopter emergency medical services, and power line maintenance, HeliService Taiwan is exploring ways to expand its operations. “In the future, we will not only provide hoisting to wind turbine generators but also passenger transport to offshore facilities and vessels for crew changes,” says Soria.

Uncrewed opportunities

Alongside the growth in crewed aviation, Taiwan is also investing heavily in uncrewed aerial systems, reflecting a broader strategy to develop a diversified aviation ecosystem that spans both traditional and emerging flight technologies.

Driven by a push for a “China-free” supply chain, President Lai Ching-te has set targets of 700 military UAVs and 3,000 dual-use drones — for both military and civilian use — with annual production expected to reach 180,000 units by 2028.

To support this plan, a UAV innovation hub is under construction in Chiayi County, featuring full-scale runways and space for up to 100 drone and technology firms. The Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center is slated for completion in 2028.

“Chiayi is ready to serve as a hub for the drone industry, with a strong manufacturing base,” Industrial Development Administration Deputy Director-General Tsou Yu-hsin told media in December last year. “Now we need a large facility with longer runways for testing.”

The government has committed NT$6.9 billion (about US$216 million) in defense funding, supplemented by private investment, to advance research in secure chips, sensors, embedded AI, and flight control software.

To strengthen the domestic market and raise Taiwan’s international profile, the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (TEDIBOA) was formed in 2024. The group now represents 120 specialized drone researchers, developers, and manufacturers.

Late last year, four Taiwanese companies — Taiwan UAV, MiTAC Information Technology Corp., Evergreen Aviation Technologies, and Coretronic Intelligent Robotics — won national defense contracts to deliver 3,422 drones over the next five years. Taiwan plans to promote its domestically produced drones in markets including the United States, Southeast Asia, and among European and NATO partners.

Securing supply chains while cultivating both military and civilian UAV markets is no small task. However, with a dedicated innovation hub taking shape, Taiwan has the opportunity to position itself as a regional leader in drone manufacturing and technology exports — advancing its defense self-sufficiency, expanding high-value manufacturing, and deepening its role in global aerospace supply chains.