A Taiwanese businessperson's 70-year-old relative, surnamed Chen, was flown from the southern mainland city of Guangzhou to Taipei, accompanied by medical personnel from the mainland, the government said.

The Chinese aircraft arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei during the evening, according to the "Mainland Affairs Council" - the "government body" in charge of relations with the Chinese mainland.

Chen will be treated for a brain hemorrhage at the Veterans' General Hospital in Taipei, the MAC said.

A Taiwanese with a medical emergency in south China would normally take a road ambulance to Macau or Hong Kong, then fly home, adding three or four hours to the total travel time, according to Thurday's Guangzhou-Taipei flight operator, Singapore-based International SOS.

"We've waited a long time for this," said Keynes Chen, general manager with International SOS in Taiwan. "The feeling is quite exciting. This is a good thing for cross-Straits exchange."

On June 15 this year, Taiwan agreed to allow direct cargo flights on a case-by-case basis and passenger flights during four major holidays, including the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Taipei and Beijing also agreed to allow special emergency medical and humanitarian aid charter flights.

All medical flights need special approval from both sides, a process that involves multiple government agencies and takes about three days, said Corinna Wei, spokeswoman for the Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.

Chinese authorities had not decided on an application to let Taiwan citizens injured in a northeast China traffic accident on Monday fly directly home, Wei said.

The wreck killed two people from Taiwan and injured 18.