Passengers panic after plane cabin fills with ‘AC smoke’

Passengers panic after plane cabin fills with ‘AC smoke’

2025-12-25

A UNI Air flight from Taipei to Penghu had to turn back just as the plane was taxiing for take-off after burning smell and thick smoke started filling the cabin. The incident happened on Wednesday evening, and the plane’s captain said it was due to an issue with the air conditioning that had already been solved. Though the flight was going to resume as scheduled, several passengers called out to get off the plane, saying they had breathing problems. Let’s hear more.

Voice of flight captain
UNI Air
Due to an issue with the AC a smell was released. The issue has been resolved, and we are proceeding as normal.

Voice of passengers
Flying with UNI Air
Sorry, can you let us out? Let us out!

Amy Wang
Passenger
The smoke was really thick. It definitely wasn’t cigarette smoke. It wasn’t that kind of smell. You could see the smoke, it was a white haze, and it was filling the entire cabin. For people like me with respiratory issues, it caused us to have breathing problems.

Shortly after the captain’s announcement, the passengers in the front rows got uneasy and said they couldn’t breathe. They spoke with cabin crew, and the situation only grew increasingly tense. UNI Air later issued a statement saying that the aircraft returned for an inspection and the passengers were taken to Penghu on a different plane.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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#travel #flight #penghu #taipei

機艙內竄白煙飄怪味乘客不適喊下機立榮航空致歉

2025-12-25

立榮航空昨(24)晚一班從松山飛往澎湖的航班，在飛機滑行時，乘客聞到燒焦味，而且機艙也出現煙霧。機長原本廣播說是空調問題，已經排除，打算原機起飛。但當時已經有不少乘客反映出現呼吸困難狀況，喊話要下機。

[[聲源: 當事航班機長]]
“因為剛剛冷氣的關係，造成一些味道的散出，那目前情況已經解決，回到正常的程序。”

[[聲源:當事航班乘客]]
“不好意思可以讓我們下去嗎?讓我們下去!”

[[該班機乘客 Amy Wang]]
“那個煙霧真的是非常非常大。也不是我剛剛說的，就是絕對不是只是抽菸的那種煙味，是你可以肉眼可見，就是白霧濛濛，然後籠罩的整個機艙。像我這一種可能氣管比較不好的人，是會有點無法呼吸的狀況。”

機長廣播後沒多久，前排煙霧最濃處，已經有乘客出現恐慌，喊到無法呼吸，不斷跟空服反應，狀況沒有排除，短短十分鐘，讓機上乘客相當不安。之後立榮航空發聲明，該班機基於安全考量，最後返回停機坪進行檢查，也調派另一架飛機，來載運旅客。

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Taiwan Visitors Association celebrates 69th anniversary

The Taiwan Visitors Association marked its 69th anniversary with a grand annual meeting, inviting speakers from ForwardKeys and the Tourism Research Division at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. For the first time, the association also introduced two scholarships aimed at nurturing the next generation of tourism talent. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details!

For the first time, the Taiwan Visitors Association introduced two competitions and offered scholarships. The tourism research category received a total of 42 papers, contributed by 57 students from 28 universities and colleges. The short film competition attracted 222 entries from 101 high schools and universities. The Taiwan Visitors Association chairwoman, Chien Yu-yen, presented the awards to the students at the meeting.

Chien Yu-yen
Taiwan Visitors Association chairwoman
This year’s first place went to three graduate students from National Tsing Hua University. They proposed strategies to address the off-season tourism challenges in Matsu. The second prize was awarded to a team of students from four universities and five departments, who designed a game app for Taiwan’s pilgrimage routes.

The annual meeting also featured international speakers. Wonhee Lee, Director of the Tourism Research Division at the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, shared how Korea has successfully combined K-Culture with tourism policies to extend visitor stays and boost regional development.

Meanwhile, Olivier Ponti, Director of Intelligence & Marketing at ForwardKeys, highlighted that global flight searches to Taiwan grew by 21% over the past year, with searches from New York surging by 68%. Seoul accounted for the largest share of searches at 13%, followed by Tokyo and Manila, each at 7%. He noted that the third quarter consistently marks the peak season for Seoul travelers booking flights to Taiwan, and recommended that tourism promotion agencies intensify marketing efforts during this period.

Olivier Ponti
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The number of searches to Taiwan has increased by 21%. That is crazy, but remember the capacity has increased by only 5%. Here, there is a gap. There is a lot of travel intent for the destination, but this travel intent is not converting one-on-one in and to bookings.

Chien Yu-yen
Taiwan Visitors Association chairwoman
We invited Olivier from ForwardKeys, who flew in from Spain. ForwardKeys holds extensive global travel data and trends. Both speakers emphasized that Taiwan is emerging as a key target in Asia based on search and digital data. Yet, hesitation remains at the final step of booking. These experts offered solutions to bridge that gap.

The Taiwan Visitors Association hopes to continue to collaborate with industry, government, and academia to deepen international exchange and talent development.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#TaiwanVisitorsAssociation #Tourism #TaiwanTourism

2025-12-25

Escaped ostrich stalls traffic in Hualien’s Yuli

An ostrich was recently seen running wild along a main road in Hualien’s Yuli Township, setting a new pace for traffic as cars slowed down behind it. Thankfully, it was safely caught when it reached a nearby factory. Most people assumed the ostrich escaped from a zoo and were surprised to learn it is privately owned.

An ostrich runs wildly down the road, tailed closely by two cars.

Kao Chin-lung
Factory boss
We were holding an event in front of the factory, and thought to drive the ostrich out.

The ostrich ran down the street and straight into a factory, shocking the employees. They tried to make the ostrich leave, but it refused to go, instead running around the factory as the boss tried to keep up.

Kao Chin-lung
Factory boss
It ran into the factory, then we tried to surround it and catch it over there, but it ran back over here.

Despite the risk that the ostrich would harm them, the group eventually managed to catch it. They notified its owner to come pick it up as soon as possible.

Mr. Huang
Ostrich owner
It went missing at 9:30. It was caught just around 10.

The ostrich snuck out from its home around 9 and then ran over 1km to this metal factory. Halfway through his work, the boss suddenly noticed an ostrich outside. He did a double take, thinking he must be imagining it, but it was very real.

Mr. Huang
Ostrich owner
We had time off and were driving when we saw someone selling ostriches, so we went inside and ending up buying two. One of them went missing a while ago.

Chen Wei-chieh
Traffic police officer
After investigating the owner’s responsibilities, our precinct issued a citation under Article 84 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act and transferred the case to the county government’s animal and plant protection authority to settle.

Thankfully nobody was hurt, but letting big animals run wild on the road is very dangerous. Responsible parties can be fined up to NT$600, and if someone is injured, the consequences are far more costly.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Gustav Klimt’s ’After the Rain’ debuts in new exhibition

A new exhibition is now on view at the National Museum of History. This special showcase is a collaboration between Vienna’s Belvedere Museum and the National Museum of History, featuring more than 60 flower-themed works spanning from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Among the highlights is Gustav Klimt’s original masterpiece "After the Rain," presented for the very first time in Taiwan. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details.

One of the centerpiece works is Gustav Klimt’s "After the Rain." This Taipei exhibition marks the first occasion that original pieces from the Belvedere’s collection are being displayed in Taiwan.

Besides After the Rain, the exhibition also features a room with an immersive multimedia installation. This interactive presentation highlights Klimt’s artistic journey, showcasing a selection of his works while illustrating his creative process. Visitors can step into a vivid, multisensory environment that brings Klimt’s techniques and inspirations to life, offering deeper insight into how his masterpieces were conceived and produced.

Lin Juei-tang
National Museum of History research assistant
We think this is a very rare opportunity to show this work, and we want to introduce all aspects of his art so besides displaying his "After the Rain," we also designed a multi-media experience so that the audience can enjoy and understand the process of Klimt’s creation and how he created art.

Other notable works include pieces by Johann Knapp, one of Austria’s most renowned flower painters at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Over his career, Knapp produced thousands of watercolor studies of plants. On display here is his celebrated work "Homage to Jacquin."

Lin Juei-tang
National Museum of History research assistant
This is a work that substantially embodies the relationship between art and science at that time. In the early 18th century, you can see that the development of flower painting in Vienna is closely related to the nobility’s interest in developing biology and scientific exploration, so in this work, we see that actually, Jacquin is a biologist working in Vienna. In this work, we see that the artist Johann Knapp includes lots of flowers, mushrooms, and even exotic animals.

Another featured artist is Johann Baptist Drechsler, regarded as one of the most influential flower painters and educators in Austria during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Lin Juei-tang
National Museum of History research assistant
We see the traditional pot and flowers are really arranged in kind of a natural background. We see the trees and sky. These are actually rarely seen in previous flower paintings. We think that this actually represents a very important tradition of flower painting that they are moving from indoors gradually to outdoors.

To commemorate the National Museum of History’s 70th anniversary, Vienna’s Belvedere Museum and the National Museum of History in Taipei collaborated to host an exhibition. The exhibition spans 200 years of European art history. Visitors can trace the evolution of styles from Baroque, Romanticism, and Impressionism to the beginnings of Modernism.

Lin Juei-tang
National Museum of History research assistant
Throughout the years, the National Museum of History has introduced to the audience in Taiwan the great works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet, we want to expand the vision of Taiwan’s audience by introducing these flower paintings from Vienna because we think that flower paintings and still life are something that Taiwan’s audience are maybe not so familiar with. Through this exhibition, we are trying to show the more than 200 years of history of this kind of genre that has developed in central Europe.

The exhibition will run at the National Museum of History until March 22.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#BelvedereMuseum #VienneseFlowerPaintings #Paintings #Flower #GustavKlimt #Vienna #NationalMuseumofHistory #Orginal

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ITRI announces R&D alliance in Southern Taiwan

ITRI on Wednesday announced an initiative that aims to promote industrial upgrading in Southern Taiwan, by joining forces with local universities and research industries. It also hopes to see the plan bear fruit within five years, and in the longer term, attract and retain talent for the betterment of the region.

ITRI has chosen Shalun Green Energy Technology Demonstration Site in Tainan for the conference on R&D alliance in Southern Taiwan. Supported by the National Science and Technology Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Education, ITRI is kick-starting this program that aims to bring universities closer to the research institute.

Chang Pei-zen
ITRI President
In the past, this would be like a relay race with three laps, in which the baton is passed on one by one. But what we aim to do is to make this process more integrated. We’re borrowing the research momentum of universities, such as by transferring or jointly appointing professors to serve at ITRI.

The President of ITRI aims to create an ecosystem of research institutes, universities and industry, so that the R&D process—from initial inquiry to industrial applications—can be fully integrated. That way, organizations involved in any stage of the process can find a place within the ecosystem, which also provides a platform for collaboration, and thereby promoting industrial development in Southern Taiwan.

Chang Pei-zen
ITRI President
Universities usually conduct fundamental research for the early stages, which is also more rigorous in theory. However, the work we do at ITRI tends to have more direct applications in industries. If university professors are well-trained in both sectors, I believe they will gain the best of both worlds and better contribute to their personal ambitions, universities or even industries.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Wu Cheng-wen was also at the conference. He emphasized the importance of providing the talent pool with a comprehensive nurturing environment. He says that this is also important for the ministry’s own policy objectives.

Wu Cheng-wen
NSTC Minister
We hope to expand and disseminate ITRI’s value to the south, so that we can nurture the south.

ITRI’s inaugural southern R&D alliance is a five-year industrial upgrading plan for Southern Taiwan. In the first year, joint appointments will be made with local universities, and an internship program will be launched for local university students. In the third year, ITRI expects to see preliminary R&D results, which will then be applied and serve as an impetus for local industries.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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6.1 quake causes Christmas Eve chaos in Taitung

What began as a warm and joyful Christmas Eve quickly turned frightening on Wednesday, as a powerful 6.1 quake struck in Taitung. The seismic shock shook buildings and sent people running outside for safety. From shops, schools and homes to a prison facility and a columbarium. The quake caused damage across Taitung, leaving scenes of chaos, but thankfully, no reports of serious injuries.

A gift exchange on Christmas Eve was cut short when the ground started shaking, sending the group of more than 20 students screaming in fear.

At this boba shop, tea coolers fell to the ground, spilling drinks all over the floor and creating a complete mess. Staff dashed outside as items on the counters toppled over.

A man using the toilet didn’t have time to put his clothes on and rushed out, bare-butt.

Village chief
Mulivelivek
We’ve had strong shaking since the 1999 Jiji earthquake, but none as strong as this. Even people sitting outside were scared. It was really strong.

A concrete and brick wall collapsed at a field near the city. CCTV footage shows the 50m wall swaying side to side before coming crashing down. Fortunately, the rice had already been harvested.

A wall also damaged at the Yanwan Training Institute at Taitung Prison, raising concerns about a jailbreak. Authorities say staff and inmates were unharmed and nobody escaped.

Over at a sports high school in Taitung, an entire section of the ceiling came crashing down, walls cracked and water pipes burst and leaked. Though the school looked like it was bombed, nobody was injured.

Lin Te-chuan
High school secretary
We immediately evacuated the students and had them wait outside. Staff inspected the dormitories after the quake. Students living nearby could call their families to be taken home.

The quake even disturbed the dead at Chao’an Columbarium, where nine urns on the 5th floor were toppled over, scattering ashes over the floor. Fortunately the remains did not mix together.

The quake disrupted the peace and quiet on Christmas Eve, but thankfully, there were no major disasters.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#quake #earthquake #taitung #Christmaseve

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Young industrial climber breaks gender and age barriers

At just 19 years old, one industrial climber from Kaohsiung has already proven herself capable of great feats. Carrying over 10kg of rope and equipment, throughout the last year, Yaya has suspended herself from tall buildings to do waterproofing, install bird-protection nets, and more. She has even climbed buildings over 20 stories high. Yaya has overcome many fears, determined to prove that women like her can be brave, strong, and self-reliant.

Wearing professional climbing equipment complete with a system of ropes and a helmet for safety, the 19-year-old industrial climber Yaya hangs outside the fourth floor of a building to waterproof a client’s windows.

Yaya
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I’ve been doing this for about a year. You definitely need to have enough stamina, and need to be strong. You have to carry your own gear along with the equipment upstairs, so you need to be fit enough.

Yaya was originally studying beauty and hairdressing, but decided to become an industrial climber over a year ago due to her family situation. The salary is three times higher than her previous one, but working in the rain and sun has its challenges.

Yaya
Industrial climber
I can’t even think about looking pretty right now. I have to cover up for sun protection and always use sunscreen. I can’t get my nails done because they would break off.

Although she is on the slimmer side, Yaya is used to carrying over 10kg of ropes and other equipment for scaling buildings. She has helped do waterproofing work, install bird-protection nets, and even climbed buildings over 20 stories tall. But her work can be scary and dangerous, especially when it rains.

Yaya
Industrial climber
We wanted to come down, but it was raining at the time, and when the ropes get wet, they expand. When the rope gets wet, it’s hard to lower. It kept stopping and getting stuck. You think you’re going to fall, but you won’t actually. It’s very safe.

Her work may be full of challenges, but Yaya faces them all with a brave smile. Her determination and strength have shown that women can do this job just as well as men.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#climber #women #womenempowerment #industrialclimber #strong #brave #feminism

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