|
Home>News Center>China | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Aircrew rise to maiden Taiwan flight It was 8:05 am on Saturday. A Boeing 777 airliner carrying 242 passengers soared into the early morning skies over Baiyun International Airport in South China's Guangzhou en route for Taipei. Around 90 minutes later, the China Southern jet with a tail number CZ3097 became the first mainland plane to touch down on Taiwan island in 56 years. The Guangzhou-based carrier is among six mainland airlines operating charter flights for Taiwan business people working on the mainland heading home to their families for the coming Spring Festival holidays. Captaining the flight was Hao Jianhua, 54, who has 36 years flying experience behind him. "The flight will be unforgettable considering its historic significance," Hao told Xinhua News Agency ahead of takeoff. "Although there are no technical difficulties in this mission, I still feel it unusual since the 90-minute flight will break the ice that has been frozen between the two sides for 56 years," said Hao. To ensure the flight went safely and smoothly, Hao and his colleagues prepared more than 100 flight reports involving air routes, weather predictions and technical data. "This is a good beginning, and we really hope the special charter flights over Spring Festival holidays can turn into regular ones," said the pilot. There are vast business opportunities for the aviation sectors on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, he said. And both will benefit from the fledgling market in the long run if more breakthroughs can be made. Like other airlines operating the holiday charters, Air China put flight safety at the top of its concerns. Since late December last year, the national flag carrier has been in training for the special service, honing everything from flight skills to cabin services, pilot Jin Yibin told China News Service. The 37-year-old captain, who piloted former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin's special plane was at the controls of a Boeing 737-300 jumbo for the first flight out of Beijing to Taipei on Saturday. After the air routes were confirmed, Air China liaised with its counterparts in Taipei and Kaohsiung, collecting airport air route information and preparing navigation data to ensure all went according to plan, said Jin. In addition to routine checks on the aircraft, a special safety examination was added to guarantee a no-hitch flight, said the pilot, who has more than 11,000 flying hours to his credit. Wu Rongnan, general manager of Xiamen Airlines based in East China's Fujian Province, saw the charter flight programme as a significant event in cross-Straits aviation exchanges. His company has been working to forge links with its Taiwanese counterparts since the early 1980s. But those exchanges brought no practical results until this year when Xiamen Airlines was granted the right to fly the holiday charters. Wu much values a plaque presented by a visiting Taiwan aviation delegation in April 1990 inscribed with four Chinese characters meaning "longing for flights across the Straits." The plaque hangs on the wall of his office. "Both the Taiwan and mainland civil aviation sectors have been awaiting direct flights," said Wu. "We have been preparing for the historic flight for more than two decades since our company was founded," he added. Although Wu's airlines is part of the charter flight programme, he still feels it "a great pity" that the Taiwan side refused to allow Xiamen - where Wu's company is headquartered - to be a designated destination. Thousands of Taiwanese business people live and work in the city and direct flights would take just 30 to 40 minutes, said Zhang Huilin, the airlines' public relations officer. Xiamen Airlines has been in negotiations with its Taiwanese counterpart TransAsia Airways over possible charter flights for several years, but drew a blank when it came to getting the go-ahead from the Taiwan authorities. Although the 2005 charter flights are not direct in the real sense given the aircraft have to pass through Hong Kong airspace, albeit without touching down, they are a profoundly significant step and augur well for the future, said Wu. To make passengers feel even more welcome during their time on board, Xiamen Airlines have asked all its flight attendants to speak in the dialect of Fujian Province - which is widespread among Taiwanese people. A range of food specialities with a Taiwan flavour have also been arranged. (China Daily 01/31/2005 page3) |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
