Cross-strait charter flight for Mid-Autumn Festival takes off 

Source: Xinhuanet

09-30-2006 09:37

The first Mid-Autumn Festival charter flight across the Taiwan Strait took off from Taipei at 11:00 (0300 GMT) Friday morning for Shanghai.

The flight, which arrived in Shanghai at 13:25, marks the extension of the cross-strait charter flight service, which used to be restricted to the Spring Festival, or traditional Chinese Lunar New Year.

The flight, BR 1712 from the Taiwan-based Eva Airways, had 308 passengers on board. Two hours later, the flight returned to Taipei with full passengers.

Following Eva Airways' lead, 11 other airlines from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will organize charter flights for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Oct. 6 this year and is an important occasion for Chinese family reunions.

Six airlines from each side will operate 24 round-trip flights between Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Taipei from September 29 to Oct. 8, during China's weeklong National Day vacation.