MACAO, Jan. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese mainland and Taiwan civil aviation circles reached consensus here Saturday on launching non-stop charter flights for Taiwan businessmen during the Spring Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year.

Pu Zhaozhou (R), vice chairman of the board of directors of the mainland-based Straits Aviation Exchange Commission, chats with Mike Lo, chairman of Taipei Airlines Association, during a news conference after their meeting in Macao January 15, 2005. Taiwan and the mainland reached an agreement on Saturday on landmark direct flights over the Chinese New Year holidays between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in mainland China, along with Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, a move which could ease tensions and improve ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. (China Daily/Reuters) Pu Zhaozhou (R), vice chairman of the board of directors of the mainland-based Straits Aviation Exchange Commission, shakes hands with Mike Lo, chairman of Taipei Airlines Association, before their meeting with delegates from the two sides of the Taiwan Straits in Macao January 15, 2005. The two sides held talks on Saturday on landmark direct flights over the Chinese New Year holidays, a move which could ease tensions and improve the cross-Straits relations. (China Daily/Reuters) Pu Zhaozhou (R), vice chairman of the board of directors of the mainland-based Straits Aviation Exchange Commission, shakes hands with Mike Lo, chairman of Taipei Airlines Association, before their meeting with delegates from the two sides of the Taiwan Straits in Macao January 15, 2005. (China Daily/Reuters) Pu Zhaozhou (R), vice chairman of the board of directors of the mainland-based Straits Aviation Exchange Commission, chats with Mike Lo, chairman of Taipei Airlines Association, and and Billy Chang (2nd-L), Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration chief, before their meeting with delegates from the two sides of the Taiwan Straits in Macao January 15, 2005. (China Daily/Reuters)

    Pu Zhaozhou, vice-president of the Cross-Strait Aviation Transport Exchange Council, exchanged views with Le Daxin, chairman of the Taipei Aviation Transport Commerce Trade Council, on technical and operation issues on the charter flights.

    According to the consensus, non-stop flights between mainland's cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taiwan's Taipei and Kaohsiung will be in operation from Jan. 29 to Feb. 20 for Taiwanese businessmen work on the mainland and their relatives to go home for the Lunar New Year Holidays that begins on Feb. 9, a traditional festival for family reunion.

    Each side will have six airlines to operate 24 non-stop round-trip flights via Hong Kong.

    The two sides also reached consensus on issues concerning crew members.

    The charter flights are designed to allow Taiwan business people and their relatives to go home by a shorter and more directair route. Previously, travelers must stop at a third destination, usually Hong Kong and Macao when flying between China's mainland and Taiwan.

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