Direct cargo flights will start to operate from Jiangxi Province on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan from Monday, cutting travel time from three days to 100 minutes, local authorities said yesterday.

The weekly flight would link Changbei International Airport in Nanchang, the provincial capital, with Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, according to a statement by the mainland airport.

According to the statement, the cargo flight would be operated by China Eastern Airlines Co Ltd's Jiangxi branch every Monday, carrying up to 4 tons of cargo as well as 158 passengers for a single trip. The airline's cargo charges are set at 5 yuan (73 US cents) per kilogram, 9 yuan less than the indirect flight charge.

Taiwan is Jiangxi's second-largest export destination in Asia with a total export value of US$480 million in 2009.

With the direct cargo flight, Taiwan products are expected to be very popular in Jiangxi, said a Nanchang Customs official.