The Chinese will celebrate their most
important annual holiday next week, the Spring Festival. To
help Taiwan people who live and work in the mainland to
return home for the occasion, six Taiwan airlines will
operate 16 flights to Shanghai Pudong Airport.
China Airlines, the largest carrier in Taiwan
Province, will fly a landmark charter service to Shanghai on
Sunday for the first time in more than 50 years.
The charter will ferry Taiwanese
passengers home for the Lunar New Year holidays, although
the flights will make a detour via Hong Kong.
The carrier says reservations for the
flight are not as high as previously expected, with only 200
out of a total of 377 seats booked so far.
Eva Airways is also chartering a flight
on January 29th from Taipei to Shanghai via Macao.
The airliner has already sold 300 out
of a total of 368 seats.
The East China
Bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration is in charge of
coordinating the flights. Bureau Director Xia Xinghua says
they are making good preparations so as to ensure that
everything goes smoothly.
We have
set up a task force for the charter service. It will
coordinate various departments concerned, including the
airlines, air control center, and airports to help guarantee
the safety of the chartered flights.
Xia Xinghua says in addition to the
Shanghai Pudong Airport, they have also selected several
airports in the neighboring regions to act as standbys,
which will be used during bad weather. He adds that Shanghai
airports have also conducted simulated take-offs and
landings for Taiwan pilots participating in the service.
Shanghai Airlines is providing ground
services for the Taiwan airlines. General Manager Fan Hongxi
says they have transferred enough people for the charter
plane service.
We will provide
the best service so that our Taiwan counterparts can rest
assured that they will land at Pudong Airport safely. And we
shall attend to every detail of our service, including
cleaning, water and oil supply, and boarding guides so as to
make the Taiwan passengers satisfied."
Mr. Li, who is in charge of the
Shanghai Office of Taiwan-based China Airlines, says this
will be a very significant flight. His company has signed
various agency agreements concerning ground service and
ticket sales. Mr. Li says that during contact with these
mainland departments, he deeply felt their sincerity.
Its true that the mainland
has offered a great deal of help and is very warm-hearted.
We all can feel that.
The six
Taiwan airlines have all set up special counters in Shanghai
to provide on-the-spot consultation and business service to
Taiwan compatriots. More than 1,200 Taiwan compatriots have
so far booked round-trip tickets on the charter flights.
Direct flights between Taiwan Province
and mainland have been hindered for political reasons since
1949.
(Cri.com.cn January 25, 2003)