With the "twilight'' of charter flights for 2005 Spring Festival, which starts on February 9, the airlines across the Taiwan Straits are very active in solving technological and professional problems for the flights.

Fujian-based Xiamen Airlines officially announced recently that it has made a detailed plan for the charter flights and tickets price from Xiamen to Taipei would be the same as the price of the flight from Xiamen to Hong Kong. There are more than 3,000 Taiwanese business people in Xiamen, Fujian province. They will suffer less in their journey if they have direct charter flights from Xiamen to Taipei.

General Manager Wu Rongnan with the Xiamen Airlines said he hopes the way of "joint participation and direct flight with many destinations'' will be adopted for the charter flights. Xiamen Airlines has solved any technological and professional problems, and are capable of carrying out the flights as long as the Taiwanese authorities allow planes to land on the island.

Wu said on January 5, "Xiamen Airlines would leave it to Taiwan TransAsia Airways to deal with its flights plan with the Taiwan civil aviation management authorities''. Wu is negotiating in Macao with its Taiwanese counterpart Taiwan TransAsia Airways over the charter flights.

General Manager Luo Chaogeng with the China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd told reporters that the Airlines has made all preparations from air routes arrangement to technological data, and can carry out the flights from Shanghai to Taipei if the Taiwanese authorities allow its planes to land on the island.

Zhou Chi, chairperson of the board of directors of the Shanghai Airlines Co., Ltd, said the airlines is familiar with the air traffic control area from Shanghai to Taiwan via Macao including the air routes in Taiwan. The company has made detailed preparations for the flights.

Zhou Baoyu, general representative of the Taiwan EVA Airways Corporation in the Chinese mainland said the Taiwan airlines executives would come to the mainland for negotiations with their counterparts over the charter flights soon. He hoped that the flights could be arranged as soon as possible.

By People's Daily Online