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First Changchun-Taipei direct flight takes off

By Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-02-06 17:52
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Direct Spring Festival charter flight service between northeast China's Jilin province and Taiwan has begun Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The charter flight CZ6051 of China Southern Airlines took off Saturday morning from Longjia International Airport in Changchun, capital of Jilin and arrived at Taipei's Songshan Airport three and a half hours later.

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This is the first ever direct flight between Jilin and Taiwan.

China Southern planned to carry out four round-trip charter flights on February 6, 13, 20 and 27, each carrying up to 182 passengers. Tickets for flights on February 13 and 20 have all been sold out, news agency China News Service said.

Direct flights between Changchun and Taipei could save travelers three hours.

Zhang Weidong, deputy general manager of China Southern's Jilin branch, told Xinhua the carrier will manage to open regular direct flights between Changchun and cities in Taiwan after the Spring Festival.

Last December, civil aviation authorities from the mainland and Taiwan agreed to open regular direct cross-Strait flights in four more mainland cities: Taiyuan, Changchun, Nanning and Yantai, bringing the total number of mainland terminals to 31.

The mainland and Taiwan have 270 flights between them weekly in January of 2010.
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