Cross-Straits charter flight 

Source: CCTV.com

09-30-2006 09:42

China's national day holidays are just a day away. And the first Mid-Autumn cross strait charter flights have already taken off. An EVA Boeing-7-77 from Taiwan brought 300 passengers to Shanghai.

On Friday, the first of the cross-strait charters for the Mid-Autumn Festival took to the air. It's the first time that such charters have operated outside of Spring Festival.

Zhou Jie from Shanghai Pudong Int’l Airport said, “At 1:40 PM, the first Mid-Autumn cross-strait charter landed safely at Shanghai\'s Pudong International Airport. Taiwan-based EVA Air took off from Taipei at 11 this morning, and flew three hours to the city. It will return to the island at three PM.”

Passengers onboard the charters are all appreciating the convenience of the non stop trip.

One passenger said, "It's very convenient, and saves around three to four hours. It's best we have such charters every month. "

Another passenger said, “We took the flight here for family reunions. Direct flights are more comfortable, especially for elderly people, who can't move freely for flight transfers.”

12 Mainland and Taiwan airline companies will carry out 24 cross-strait charter flights until Mid-October. The flights are to carry a total of ten thousand passengers either way. The Mid-Autumn cross-strait charters are the first such flights after civil aviation associations on both sides of the straits agreed on festival passenger charters this June. Current agreements will also allow cross-strait charters for the Spring Festival, the Qingming Tomb Sweeping Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival.

Editor:Sun Luying