Three Links
On 27 April 2001, Hualien Airport became certified to serve international flights, specifically charter flights to and from Japan (to nearby Yonaguni in particular). The first Japanese charter arrived at Hualien on 1 October 2001. Charter flights to South Korea and Macau began in August and October 2004 respectively. However, these routes have since ended. There was also discussion of using Hualien for charter flights to mainland China under the Three Links scheme.