Chinese mainland and Taiwan civil aviation circles reached
consensus Saturday on launching non-stop charter flights for Taiwan
businessmen during the Spring Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year.
Pu Zhaozhou, vice president of the Cross-Strait Aviation
Transport Exchange Council, exchanged views with Le Daxin, chairman
of the Taipei Aviation Transport Commerce Trade Council, on
technical and operation issues on the charter flights.
According to the consensus, non-stop flights between mainland's
cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taiwan's Taipei and
Kaohsiung will be in operation from Jan. 29 to Feb. 20 for
Taiwanese businessmen working on the mainland and their relatives
to go home for the Lunar New Year Holidays that begin on Feb. 9, a
traditional festival for family reunion.
Each side will have six airlines to operate 24 non-stop
round-trip flights via Hong Kong.
The two sides also reached consensus on issues concerning crew
members.
The charter flights are designed to allow Taiwan business people
and their relatives to go home by a shorter and more direct air
route. Previously, travelers must stop at a third destination,
usually Hong Kong and Macao when flying between China's mainland
and Taiwan.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2005)