A flight CI7958 operated by Taiwan-based China Airlines left for Taipei from Shanghai Pudong International Airport Wednesday night, cross-Strait charter flights prior to the Spring Festival completed.

The 2008 cross-Strait charter flights were started on Saturday. In the past five days, 12 airline companies from both sides of the Taiwan Strait operated 48 flights.

Although the freak winter weather posed severe threats to the air services in Shanghai and Guangzhou, no charter flight at the two airports was canceled or seriously delayed.

About 200,000 Taiwan people live in Shanghai.

Charter flights after the Spring Festival will kick off on Friday. And the entire charter flight mission will be finished on Feb. 15.

Twelve airlines from both sides will run 94 flights between Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen in the mainland and Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

It is the fifth year that cross-Strait charter flights have been offered for the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 7 this year.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2008)