In an important step towards restoring regular flights across the Taiwan Straits, the Chinese mainland and Taiwan yesterday announced an expansion of cross-Straits air services.

Chartered passenger flights across the Straits will now run during the Tomb Sweeping Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to the Lunar New Year holiday as previously agreed on.

Six airline companies on each side will operate a combined 168 flights a year, according to an agreement between the mainland's Cross-Straits Aviation Transport Exchange Council and the Taipei Airlines Association.

The new flights were immediately welcomed as an important step in building links across the Straits.

"We welcome any progress in promoting direct two-way links across the Taiwan Straits, which serves the interests of Chinese compatriots on both sides," Pu Zhaozhou, director of the Cross-Straits Aviation Transport Exchange Council, said at a news conference yesterday.

The new flights' destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen on the mainland, and Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

All Taiwan residents with valid certificates will be able to take the flights.

In line with the new agreement, companies based on the island will also be able to use special chartered cargo flights to fly goods and equipment over the Straits.

The two sides also agreed to open chartered flights for emergency medical rescue, first aid for the handicapped and chartered cargo flights for special needs.

The landmark agreement is the fruit of months of consultation. It is being seen as a step towards restoring the regular direct flights cut five decades ago amid a civil war between the mainland and the island.

However, Pu said the extra flights would still not meet the demand for transport from compatriots on both sides.

He urged Taiwan's authorities to allow airlines to begin weekend and regular chartered services as soon as possible.

"We hope the Taiwan authorities can abide by their pledges and approve talks to make arrangements for weekend or regular chartered flights and facilitate cargo flights as soon as possible to satisfy the compatriots' demand," he said.

"Our sincerity to promote direct air links has never changed."

Taiwan began allowing charter flights to the mainland during the Lunar New Year holiday in 2003. But only Taiwanese carriers were allowed to provide the service, and they had to stop in Hong Kong en route.

In 2005 and 2006 six Taiwan and six mainland carriers operated dozens of round trip charter flights, carrying Taiwan-based businessmen living and working on the mainland home for the Lunar New Year. Although the flights were not required to stop en route, they still had to fly through Hong Kong airspace.

Yesterday's expansion in services was immediately welcomed by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

But the office joined Pu in calling for Taiwan to allow direct air services across the Straits as soon as possible.

With the rapid development of economic and trade relations between the two sides, direct air links have become an urgent issue in cross-Straits exchanges, said the office's spokesman.

He said direct links were needed by the millions of Taiwan businessmen who came to the mainland every year, for farmers on the island who wanted lower transport costs in order to sell their fruit and vegetables on the mainland, and for families desperate to visit their relatives.

The agreement is "encouraging news" for airlines, said an official with Xiamen Airlines.

"There are no technical problems with chartered flights across the straits and we are optimistic about the market prospects," said Yan Changzheng, director of the company's administrative office.

(China Daily June 15, 2006)