[photopress:air_taiwan.jpg,full,alignright]Air China, China’s largest international carrier, plans to start scheduled flights to Taiwan as soon as services are allowed.
Board Secretary Huang Bin said, ‘We are fully prepared to operate regular direct flights.’
He declined to confirm or deny a report by the Commercial Times that the Beijing-based carrier plans to apply to open an office in Taiwan after the island’s new government is installed on May 20.
Taiwan President-Elect Ma Ying-jeou has pledged to end a five-decade ban on regular direct flights to China’s mainland as soon as he takes office. WHich will make life a lot easier for traveler’s who until now have had to travel by way of Hong Kong.
Airlines including Air China already fly occasional charter services across the Straits under a government policy allowing direct flights around Chinese holidays but, so far, there has been no regular service.
Our illustration shows Air China stewardesses preparing to present Beijing 2008 Olympics mascots to Taiwan passengers as souvenirs at Capital International Airport in Beijing, January 25, 2006. Air China’s first Spring Festival charter (as oopposed to regular) flight CA197 flew from Beijing to Taipei in southeast China’s Taiwan on January 25.
Source: The China Post