First Taiwan flight in 50 years lands in mainland
( 2003-01-26 10:02 ) (7 )

The first Taiwan commercial flight to the Chinese mainland in more than 50 years touched down in Shanghai on Sunday, a step towards direct air links now banned the both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

The empty China Airlines Boeing 747 was to load with passengers and depart at 0300 GMT for the island in the first of 16 charter flights to help Taiwanese get home for the Lunar New Year holidays that begin on February 1.

Direct air links have been severed since the end of the 1949 so the planes have to fly via Hong Kong or Macau.

Chinese Mainland has called for direct links to be restored but Taiwan has declined.

Taiwan businesses have invested some $100 billion on the mainland and an estimated one million Taiwanese live on the mainland. Around 300,000 of these usually return to Taiwan for the new year and the charter flights, while still not flying directly over Taiwan Straits, mean passengers can take the same plane all the way.

The mainland gave permission to six Taiwanese carriers -- China Airlines, Far Eastern Air Transport Corp, EVA Airways, UNI Airways, Mandarin Airlines and TransAsia Airways -- to make the flights. From February 5 to 9, planes will fly passengers back to the mainland's commercial hub.