Cross-Straits airliners fly into history
By Xing Zhigang in Beijing and Zou Huilin in Shanghai (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-01-31 06:25

The historic cross-Straits charter flights on Saturday won acclaim from communities on both sides while the world looked on.

Ceremonies were held in all the five destination airports for their departure and arrival, featuring traditional lion and dragon dances amidst gong and drum beating.

At Beijing Capital International Airport, a send-off ceremony was staged inside a hangar before three charter flights of Air China and Hainan Airlines took off for Taipei and Kaohsiung.

In the sub-zero weather, more than 300 reporters from the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and some foreign countries covered the event.

At the end of the ceremony, the giant gate of the hangar was opened to symbolize the start of the first flights by mainland commercial jets to Taiwan.

Li Jiaxiang, president of the mainland's flag carrier Air China, said his company was proud of flying the mainland's first flight to Taiwan, referring to the fact it was the first among the flights to take off for Taiwan that day.

"This is a magnificent feat in more than half a century," he said.

Air China scheduled to fly four round-trip charter flights between Beijing and Taipei and Kaohsiung.

To help improve bilateral ties, Li announced that his company will donate all the money made from all charter flights to research institutions engaged in cross-Straits studies in the mainland and Taiwan.

Charter flight CI581 of Taiwan-based China Airlines (CAL), carrying 230 passengers, landed at Beijing Capital Airport on Saturday noon after nearly a four-hour non-stop flight.

It previously took around 10 hours to make the same trip, which included a compulsory stopover in either Hong Kong or Macao.

Phillip Wei, general manager of CAL, said he had dreamt for years that a CAL airplane could touch down at the Beijing airport some day.

"We are glad that our plane ran the first non-stop flight between Taipei and Beijing today," he said, referring to Taiwan aircraft.

Wang Xiaoping, chief pilot of the CAL flight, said: "Though I'm a veteran staff of China Airlines with a 16-year flying experience, I still feel very excited as this is my first flight to the mainland."

Elileen Chang, a stewardess on the CAL fight, said it was the first time she had arrived in Beijing.

"I regret having no time to tour Beijing this time," she said. "But I wish I can do so if such charter flights become routine in the future."

Arriving passengers at each side of the Straits were warmly greeted by local officials,well wishers and relatives.

"I'm very pleased to witness this historic moment. The charter flight was very convenient," Taiwan businessman Chen Zhonghe told local media upon his arrival in Taipei aboard flight CZ3097 of the China Southern Airlines.

He has been running a ceramics plant in the mainland for 15 years.

As the first ever civil airplane from the mainland, flight CZ3097 was given a red carpet welcome, which was decorated with colourful balloons and large picture posters.

The international community has also shown interest towards the successful non-stop commercial flights.

"We welcome cross-Straits flights during the Chinese New Year holiday period," the State Department of the United States said in a statement.

"We believe improving cross-Straits economic ties, including cross-Straits flights, serves the interests of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and is conducive to peace and security in the region," it said.

In Shanghai, China Eastern Airline and Shanghai Airline co-organized a ceremony before their flights FM807 and MU579 took off for Taipei.

Shanghai Vice-Mayor Tang Dengjie said such non-stop flights, though still having to fly through Hong Kong's air space, are beneficiary to the Taiwanese people, and will promote closer business ties between Taiwan and Shanghai.

In 2004 alone, the number of Taiwanese people who entered and departed from Shanghai reached 1.32 million.

To date, more than 300,000 people from Taiwan Province are living in Shanghai and the surrounding areas.

The number of Taiwanese-funded projects in Shanghai had topped 5,440 by the end of 2004.

Hector Yeh, president of the Association of Shanghai Taiwanese-Funded Enterprises, expressed his excitement for the successful operation of the charter flights.

"We Taiwan business people in Shanghai have yearned for such flights for a long time," said Yeh.

"Today we can have non-stop flights from Shanghai to Taipei. That is so wonderful," he added.

Yeh noted Taiwan passengers can at least save NT$10,000 (US$302) on each flight, "and there are more than 1 million Taiwan business people working in the mainland which helps save a lot of money for them," he said.

"Saving money is only one minor advantage of such non-stop flights. Above all, this helps us save a lot of energy and offers a stronger sense of security," Yeh added.

The flight distance between Shanghai to Taipei through Hong Kong airspace is about 2,600 kilometres, but the direct flight distance between Shanghai and Taipei is only 600 kilometres.

It would take the charter flights just over an hour if allowed to fly directly from Shanghai to Taipei.

(China Daily 01/31/2005 page2)

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