China Southern Airlines announced that it will open five non-stop charter flights from Guangzhou to Taiwan during the upcoming traditional Chinese Spring Festival, or lunar new year.

The airline is one of the six Chinese mainland airline companies selected Tuesday by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) to participate in the charter flights across the Taiwan Straits this year.

The other five are Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Hainan Airlines. The six companies will run 24 charter flights across the Taiwan Straits.

China Southern said it consulted with the Taiwan-based China Airlines on ground services on Tuesday.

The five charter flights from Guangzhou to Taiwan's Taipei will be arranged during the last five days before the Spring Festival that falls on February 9, and tickets will be sold beginning January 25, said the China Southern Airlines.

China Southern said it will dispatch its best Boeing-777 manned with the most outstanding aircrew for the flight.

Chinese mainland and Taiwan civil aviation circles reached a consensus Saturday on launching non-stop charter flights for Taiwan business people during the Spring Festival.

In 2003, Taiwanese civil aviation airplanes were allowed to fly to the Chinese mainland for the first time since 1949. However, owing to restrictions from Taiwan authorities, the flights had to make stopovers in Hong Kong or Macao, and no airlines from the Chinese mainland were involved.

Airways based in Taiwan said the non-stop charter flights to be launched this year will greatly benefit those Taiwan business people working on the Chinese mainland.