Saturday, January 29 2005 14:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: In a historic move, China and archrival Taiwan today (Jan 29, 2005) launched first-ever direct commercial flights since their split in 1949, significantly reducing cross-Straits tensions ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Amid a festive atmosphere and traditional lion and dragon dances, civil aircraft of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan took off from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Taipei respectively this morning, kicking off the first-ever non-stop, round-trip charter flights across the Taiwan Strait during the three-week-long Spring Festival holiday season, also called the Chinese Lunar New Year.

This was also the first time since 1949 that the Chinese mainland jetliner headed for Taiwan in normal commercial flights amid signs that Beijing may finally resume negotiations with Taipei.

The Chinese flag carrier - Air China charter flight CA1087 - which departed from Beijing Capital Airport at 05:30 hrs (IST) for Taipei, was the first mainland jet to take off.

Around 88 passengers aboard the plane were Taiwanese businessmen and their families, homebound for the traditional family reunion during the upcoming Spring Festival.

Charter flight CZ3097 of the China Southern Airlines with 242 passengers aboard, which left Guangzhou city in southern China almost the same time as the Air China flight, landed first in Taipei, becoming the first mainland aircraft to land in Taiwan after a nearly 100-minute journey.

The flights marked the start of a three-week-long special charter flight scheme, under which 12 airlines of the mainland and Taiwan would run 48 non-stop, round-trip flights.