Taipei 'obstructing' New Year's plans

Mainland civil aviation authorities on Friday strongly condemned Taipei's disregard for the well-being of the people across the Taiwan Straits by obstructing plans for additional Spring Festival flights.

Adding more flights during the Chinese New Year has been a common practice between the two sides for years to facilitate Taiwan people returning home for family reunions. This year, mainland airlines have applied to add 614 flights from mainland cities to Taiwan from Feb 2 to March 2. This year's Spring Festival falls on Feb 16.

However, Taiwan authorities have created obstacles in approving 176 flights by China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines because the two companies are using the new flight route M503 and its connecting routes, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Friday.