January 10 2003 (FriedlNet.com) - Late last week, Chinese authorities approved the first cross-Straits indirect charter flights by Taiwanese carriers since the renegade province severed ties with the mainland mothership more than half a century ago. Taiwan’s Far Eastern Air was the first of 6 carriers to receive approval by Beijing to operate the indirect Taipei-Shanghai charter service, with another Taiwanese carrier, China Airlines, this week having been granted mainland access for the upcoming Chinese lunar new year festivities.

After first granting approval to Taiwan’s Far Eastern Air last Friday, the mainland authorities Monday granted approval to China Airlines to fly planes in and out of Shanghai between January 26th and February 10th. According to a senior official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), applications for the remaining 4 Taiwanese carriers that applied should also be approved: “Their applications will be approved immediately once the relevant documents are provided.” The remaining 4 airlines are Mandarin Airlines , EVA Airways , as well as the regional carriers TransAsia Airways and Uni Airways .

The historic move is considered a small but symbolic step towards standardized cross-Straits links, and perhaps even direct flights at some point in the future. Despite deep economic intertwinglement with the mainland and China’s urging to establish direct links, the island has preferred to stick to its decades-old ban on the “three links” – trade, transport, and postal services – lest it become more vulnerable.

In a landmark decision last December 4th, Taipei decided to give the go-ahead for the flights, but only under certain conditions: that only Taiwanese airlines and foreign carriers - no mainland Chinese aircraft – operate the charter flights; that they only fly in and out of Shanghai; and that the flights land in Hong Kong or Macau on their way to and fro the mainland. To date, passengers and cargo must go through a third location when traveling between the island and the mainland - usually Hong Kong – which for businessmen on the go means higher costs. All in all, Taiwanese businesses have sunk up to $100 billion in the Chinese mainland since relations improved in the 80s, attracted by the vast market, cheap labor and the common cultural heritage. It is estimated that as many as 1 million Taiwanese are living and working on the mainland, an estimated 300,000 of which may return to the island for the week-long Chinese New Year, which starts on February 1st.

The first carrier to land on mainland turf will be China Airlines. A Boeing 747-400, with crew but no passengers, will leave Taipei to Shanghai’s Pudong international airport on January 26th to pick up Taiwanese and fly them back, with a brief stopover in Hong Kong.

Far Eastern plans to fly one charter flight each day between January 27th and January 29th from Shanghai to Taipei, with the return batch scheduled for the February 5th-7th period, Stopovers will be in Macau. Airfare is set at $460.

As for the applicants that have yet to get official approval, Eva – Taiwan’s second largest commercial airline – plans one flight from Shanghai to Taipei on January 26th with the return flight on February 8th, according to a company spokesman. It will use a Boeing 747-400, which can carry up to 500 passengers. The regional airline Uni Airways said it has proposed to fly from Kaoshiung to Shanghai via Macau on January 29th, with the return flight on February 8th. It plans on using a MD-90 aircraft, which can seat up to 155 passengers. TransAsia hopes to fly the Taipei-Shanghai route using an Airbus A321 – which seats 200 – on January 26th, with a return flight on February 5th.