The six Taiwan airlines scheduled for charter flights beginning Saturday across the Taiwan Strait are preparing for the flights, after a long negotiations between the two sides.

China Airlines will use A 330-300 aircraft for the first flight leaving Taipei for Beijing and is expected to arrive at 12:20 p.m. The company will take care of four mainland air companies' ground handling in the island.

To signify the special moment, China Airlines introduced specially designed memorial stamps and food.

Evaair, another Taiwan airline, has sent an aircraft crew to Beijing Capital Airport ahead of schedule to ensure the flights' smooth take over.

Far Eastern Air Transport will hold a party in southern Guangzhou Baiyun Airport on Feb. 5 and a news conference in east China's Shanghai Pudong Airport on Feb. 7. It said all its tickets flying from Shanghai to Taipei have been sold out.

The remaining three Taiwan air companies, TransAsia Airways, Uni Air and Mandarin Airlines, are also starting their preparation work and will announce their agenda for charter flights soon.

"We are working hard for the flying, because it is the first round trip non-stop charter flights between the two sides," said Mr. Wu, the public relation manager with China Airlines, "If it could be put into regular agenda, our work will be easier."

The two sides are preparing to launch charter flights to carry Taiwanese business people, residing on the mainland home for Lunar New Year, the most important Chinese holiday.

Taiwan has banned non-stop flights with the mainland since 1949. The flights Saturday will be the first time since then that Chinese airlines have been allowed to fly directly to Taiwan.

Taiwanese airlines flew charter flights during the Chinese New Year holiday in 2003, but the planes had to stop in Macao or Hong Kong when traveling to and from the mainland.