Home>News Center>China
       
 

Flights to Taiwan first in decades
By Xing Zhigang (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-01-31 06:23

After a half-century without non-stop airline links between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, nine charter flights took place on Saturday under a cross-Straits agreement for Spring Festival travel.

Six mainland planes landed in Taipei and one in the southern city of Kaohsiung for the first time in 56 years. Meanwhile, Taiwan's China Airlines and EVA Airways operated two non-stop flights from Taipei to Beijing the first since 1949.

Flight CA1087 of the mainland's flag carrier Air China departed from the Beijing Capital International Airport at 8 am for Taipei, becoming the first mainland commercial plane to take off.

Charter flight CZ3097 of China Southern Airlines, however, was the first mainland aircraft to land in Taiwan after a 90-minute journey between Guangzhou and Taipei.

"The dream that we had over the past 56 years finally came true today," said Chen Yunlin, minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, upon the arrival of CAL's CI581 in Beijing.

Since 1949, the Taiwan authorities have imposed a ban on trade, postal and transport links with the mainland.

In 2003, six Taiwanese airlines operated 16 charter flights between Taipei, Kaohsiung and Shanghai, with stopovers in Hong Kong or Macao. Meanwhile, mainland carriers were excluded from the indirect charter flight arrangement.

John Chang, a Kuomintang "lawmaker" who initiated the cross-Straits charter flight programme in 2002, compared Saturday's flights to "swallows that foretell the coming of spring."

"The successful launching of such charter flights has fully demonstrated that both sides of the Straits have enough wisdom, farsight and patience to solve existing problems," he told a celebration ceremony to mark the start of the historic flights in Beijing.

"We hope the charter flights will help ease cross-Straits tensions and improve bilateral relations."

Hopes for direct links

Li Jiaxiang, president of Air China, expressed his wish for an early realization of direct air links between Taiwan and the mainland to make it more convenient for travellers from both sides.

"It is the common aspiration of all people across the Straits that the charter flights could become regular air services to save time and money," he said.

China Airlines President Phillip Wei said his company was glad to participate in the charter flight programme despite a predicted loss for its four round-trip charter flights.

"We are proud of running the first and historic flight between Taipei and Beijing," he said.

Many passengers returned to their ports of departure on the same aircraft on Saturday after joining flights just to be a part of the memorable moment, airline officials said.

The nine charter planes all returned to their home bases later Saturday, transporting a total of 2,200 mainland-based Taiwan business people and their relatives.

The charter flights will run until February 20 between the mainland cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taipei, Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

The one-time scheme allows six mainland and six Taiwanese airlines to operate a total of 48 round-trip charter flights during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.

Only mainland-based Taiwanese business people and their relatives can participate.



 
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Iraq election begins, under shadow of violence

 

   
 

First direct flights in 56 years took off

 

   
 

Five die of meningitis; Most were students

 

   
 

Beijing considers talking with Chen Shui-bian

 

   
 

China and Venezuela sign oil agreements

 

   
 

No rush on yuan reform: China

 

   
  Wang to send representatives to mourn Koo Chen-fu
   
  Red fire ants confirmed in Hong Kong
   
  Five die of meningitis; Most were students
   
  Dalian becomes N. China biggest oil transit port
   
  Financial sector undergoes successful reform: official
   
  No rush on yuan reform: China
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  It is time to prepare for Beijing - 2008  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 草草久久久无码国产专区| t66y最新地址| 欧美人与动人物姣配xxxx| 免费专区丝袜脚调教视频 | а√天堂8资源中文在线| 老子影院午夜理伦手机不卡| 国产的一级毛片完整| 99久9在线|免费| 婷婷五月综合缴情在线视频| 久久91精品综合国产首页| 欧美黑人xxxx性高清版| 免费福利在线播放| 羞羞色院91精品网站| 国产人久久人人人人爽| 国产麻豆91网在线看| 国产精品区免费视频| 97在线公开视频| 天美一二三传媒免费观看| 三上悠亚在线网站| 新视觉yy6080私人影院| 久久受www免费人成_看片中文| 极品丝袜系列列表| 亚洲国产欧美在线看片一国产| 波多野结衣中文字幕一区二区三区 | 东北老妇露脸xxxxx| 日产亚洲一区二区三区| 久久大香线蕉综合爱| 波多野结衣种子网盘| 公和我做得好爽在线观看| 精品欧美小视频在线观看| 四虎影永久在线高清免费| 被吃奶跟添下面视频| 国产精品青草久久| 99国内精品久久久久久久| 女人182毛片a级毛片| 一区二区三区在线播放视频| 成人在线手机视频| 中文字幕丝袜诱惑| 我的初次内射欧美成人影视| 亚洲一区无码中文字幕| 管家婆有哪些版本|