The first non-stop chartered cargo flight over the Taiwan
Straits touched down at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport at
0:33 this morning after a flight of just over two hours and 10
minutes.
Flight CI 6901 of Taiwan-based China Airlines (TCA), their
largest air carrier, took off from Taoyuan Airport in Taipei at 10
PM Wednesday carrying Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
equipment. The Boeing 747-400 will return to Taiwan empty.
"The non-stop cargo flight is a step forward in connections
between Taiwan and the mainland," said Chen Luyi, vice president of
the Shanghai-based Taiwanese Businessmen Association.
A brief welcoming ceremony was held at the Pudong airport and a
banner read, "We warmly welcome the first cargo flight of China
Airlines". More than 30 domestic and foreign reporters were
gathered at the airport to record the historical moment.
Four more chartered flights will continue to ship equipment for
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd for construction of its
'8-inch chip plant' in this eastern Chinese metropolis. The last
plane is scheduled to arrive here on August 10.
The initiative is considered an active move to cut down
transportation costs and save time for Taiwanese firms because
previously all cargo charter flights had to land in Hong Kong.
However, they still require to fly through Hong Kong airspace.
"The non-stop flight has reduced our flying costs by a quarter,"
Kuoliang Tung, chief representative of China Airlines' Shanghai
office, told Xinhua reporters after the touchdown.
"It's a good start but we still anticipate a shorter route
between the two destinations without passing Hong Kong which will
reduce the flying time to just one and a half hours," said the
captain of the Boeing 747.
The cargo flight was a result of the negotiations held a month
ago between civil aviation associations of both sides. Under the
agreement reached on June 14 air carriers across the Straits will
be allowed to transport equipment used by Taiwan-funded plants on
the Chinese mainland.
The agreement also approved three further chartered passenger
flight programs during traditional Chinese festivals in addition to
the Spring Festival flight which started in 2003.
"What we are expecting is the regular cargo and passenger
flights which will greatly benefit businessmen and improve
communications across the Straits," said Chen.
Direct links have been cut for over 50 years across the Straits
while direct flights have become an urgent issue on cross-Straits
exchanges with the continuing development of economic and trade
relations between the two sides.
The mainland has pushed forward the "three direct links" in
mail, transport and trade across the Straits and called on the
Taiwan authorities to give up political concerns over the
issue.
"It's in the fundamental interests of Chinese compatriots living
on the two banks to develop cross-straits economic ties and realize
direct links in mail, trade and transport services as early as
possible, " Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee
of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),
told a Taiwan delegation studying economic and trade issues on the
mainland Wednesday.
(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2006 )
