China Eastern Airlines' planes and crew, ready for the first non-stop charter flights from the mainland to Taiwan Province over Spring Festival, appeared before media on Wednesday in Shanghai.

At the airline's maintenance base, flight attendants from the Swallow Group dressed in traditional costumes and stood before the A340-600 aircraft that will be used to transport Taiwanese business people back home for the holidays.

Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on February 9 this year and is usually a time for family reunion.

Also making a debut were souvenirs the company has specially prepared for the flights, including ceramic bowls and tigers and perfume pouches.

The A340-600s were imported from European supplier Airbus over a year ago. The plane, so far the longest passenger aircraft in the world, is 74.8 meters long. Capable of accommodating 380 passengers, it is also amongst the largest of commercial jets.

The crew for the first flight will consist of the firm's most outstanding pilots, company officials said, and General Manager Luo Chaogeng will join them on the maiden flight.

According to a consensus reached on January 10, non-stop flights between the mainland cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taiwan's Taipei and Kaohsiung will be in operation from January 29 to February 20.

In 2003, Taiwanese civil aviation airplanes were allowed to fly to the Chinese mainland for the first time since 1949. However, the flights had to make stopovers in Hong Kong or Macao on their way to Shanghai or returning trips, and no mainland airlines were involved.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2005)