Shanghai Airlines president Zhou Chi on July 16 paid a one-week visit to Taiwan, invited by Taiwan TransAsia Airways, the two sides exchanged views on increasing flights, and may possibly swap views on technology and routes for cross-straits direct flights.

According to Zhou, it only takes 3 hours from Shanghai to Taipei or Kaohsiung for direct flight, but it actually takes longer times to fly to Taiwan via Macao.

Except tour to TransAsia Airways, Zhou Chi will also visit other Taiwan airlines and hopefully explore opportunities to cooperate with them.

Prior to Zhou's Taiwan visit, Fan Hongxi, general manager of Shanghai Airlines said in an interview with reporters that about one half of the airlines' passenger and cargo businesses are from Taiwan. The airlines may fail to be the largest airlines in the mainland, but it will try its best to be the first one for promoting cross-straits direct flight.

Fan Hongxi pointed out that the Shanghai Airlines is not only the first commercialized airlines in the mainland, but also the first one dedicated for promoting cross-straits direct flight. When Wang Daohan was mayor of Shanghai in 1985, he encouraged Shanghai Airlines to be mainland's first airlines for promoting direct flight with Taiwan.

( People's Daily July 22, 2002)