Aviation organizations on the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan
have agreed to provide more chartered flights during traditional
festivals in addition to the Spring Festival or Chinese lunar New
Year.
Chartered flights will be available during Qingming, or the
tomb-sweeping festival, the Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn
festivals.
The General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) announced on
Wednesday that the mainland-based Cross-Straits Aviation Transport
Exchange Council and the Taipei Airlines Association have reached a
consensus on the framework of chartered flights for festivals and
special cases.
The festival chartered flights will operate during the 14 days
of the Spring Festival, and for seven days around the other three
festivals.
Each side will undertake 84 round-trip flights, including 48
during the Spring Festival.
Destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xiamen on
the mainland, and Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan. All Taiwan
residents, businessmen and their relatives with valid certificates
are eligible to travel on these flights.
Six airline companies on each side will operate the flights, and
this year's Spring Festival arrangements will be used as a model
for future flights.
The two sides also agreed to open chartered flights for
emergency medical rescues, special services for the disabled and
certain cargo flights.
"We welcome any progress in promoting direct, two-way and
comprehensive links across the Taiwan Straits, which is in the
interests of Chinese compatriots on both sides," Pu Zhaozhou,
director of the Cross-Straits Aviation Transport Exchange Council,
said on Wednesday.
"Our sincerity to promote direct air links between the mainland
and Taiwan has never changed," Pu said.
The new agreement, however, isn't adequate enough to meet the
demands for direct transportation links from the compatriots on
both sides, he added.
"We hope the Taiwan authorities can abide by their pledges and
approve talks to make arrangement for weekend or regular chartered
flights and facilitate cargo flights as soon as possible to satisfy
compatriots' demands," he urged.
A spokesman from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council
welcomed the agreement on chartered flights and called for the
launch of chartered flights at weekends or on a regular base and
realization of direct air services across the Taiwan Straits.
Direct air links have become an urgent issue in cross-Straits
exchange, the spokesman said.
It is the demand of millions of Taiwan compatriots who come to
the mainland every year on business, to visit relatives and to
travel. It's also the demand of Taiwan farmers who want to lower
transportation costs for exports to the mainland.
"We hope Taiwan authorities can offer convenience for the
aviation organizations on both sides to continue talks on this
issue," the spokesman added.
The first non-stop chartered flights across the Taiwan Straits
were launched during last year's Spring Festival.
(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2006)