An MD 90 flight with 66 passengers flew from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Tuesday afternoon.

 

The flight from UNI Air of Taiwan, took off shortly after arrival, carrying another 149 passengers, including two infants, back to Taiwan.

 

It is the second of the 96 planned round-trip direct charter flights across the Taiwan Strait for this year's Spring Festival, the most important festival for Chinese and an occasion for family re-union.

 

The first charter flight, a Boeing 747-400 plane with 236 passengers, flew from Taipei to Pudong International Airport in Shanghai Tuesday morning.

 

The direct flight service across the Taiwan Strait during this year's Spring Festival will be operated by 12 air companies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

 

Apart from Shanghai and Guangzhou, the direct charter flights will also be available to two more Chinese mainland cities of Beijing and Xiamen.

 

This year's Spring Festival will start on Feb. 18. And most of the direct charter flights will be on Feb. 13-16 and Feb. 23-26.

 

The first Spring Festival charter flights between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland were launched in 2003.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2007)