Busiest day for cross-Strait flights
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-02-16 16:08

Snow, drizzle and fog made it difficult for most flights coming in and out of major cities on the Chinese mainland. But Tuesday's cross-strait chartered flights for Taiwan businesspeople and their families were largely unaffected.

A total of 14 flights were operated across the Taiwan Straits on Tuesday, the busiest day for the Spring Festival chartered services.

And most of the flights were on time, despite poor weather.

Chief Pilot of Taiwan-based Eva Air TSO Weikang said, "There was thick fog over Taipei. We were delayed for 40 minutes. But the flight lasted for 3 hours and 40 minutes."

In order to keep to the schedule, Beijing's international airport was well prepared for the conditions.

Civil Aviation Administration of China Sun Defu said, "Air traffic control has given priority to the chartered flights to make sure they run according to the schedule."

The airport has also set aside 8 passenger lanes for those taking the cross-Strait flights. Enjoying the airport's hospitality, some passengers expressed hopes for more chartered flights in the future.

Eva Air took off from Beijing in the afternoon, the last charter flight from the capital by a Taiwan carrier for this Spring Festival.

The charter flights were organized under an agreement reached by the mainland and Taiwan. They provided non-stop services for Taiwan business people and their relatives traveling between the mainland and the island between January the 29th and February the 20th.

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