A Chinese mainland official Wednesday revealed, for the first time, the mainland's specific plan for the Spring Festival direct charter flights across the Taiwan Straits in 2005.

According to the plan, both Taiwan and mainland airways should participate in the flights on an equal footing.

The terminals in the mainland will be expanded from Shanghai in 2003 to more cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou and Xiamen where Taiwan businessmen inhabit and work in large numbers.

The plan also suggests Taiwan to add new cities, such as Taichung, in addition to the previous terminals of Taipei and Kaohsiung, so as to meet the demands of more Taiwan businessmen and their relatives.

The two sides can exchange views on the flight terminals, according to the plan.

The chartered airplanes will not stop over in Hong Kong and Macao to ensure the passengers' security, save them from travel fatigue and help airways cut additional expenditures, according to the plan.

The first direct charter flights can carry passengers in both directions and will open not only to Taiwan businessmen and their relatives but also to all Taiwan people to-and-fro the Straits during the Spring Festival, the plan says.

He Shizhong, an official with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and Pu Zhaozhou, a senior official with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), both considered the plan has taken full consideration of the wishes and interests of the Taiwan compatriots and airways, and expected it to be realized via direct negotiations between non-governmental aviation companies of the two sides.

Taiwan has stopped direct transport links with the mainland since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. Travelers to and from the mainland usually have to go via Hong Kong or Macao, adding several hours to the flight.

Many Taiwan people who have business in the mainland are looking forward to having non-stop round trip charter flights, which will cost less time and money, during the Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year for family reunion.

In 2003, six Taiwan air companies opened 16 charter flights to the mainland during the Spring Festival but the flight was one way from Taiwan to the mainland and stopped in Hong Kong or Macao, which roused complaints about poor efficiency among passengers.

The air companies only sold 70 percent of the seats on average per flight in 2003.

The Taiwan authorities agreed to the indirect charter flights in 2003's Spring Festival on certain conditions: only Taiwanese airlines could operate the charter flights; the flights have to fly the routes by landing in a third place and the flight should be only one way, no passengers should be carried on the trip back.

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2005)