Taiwanese carriers are preparing to make their first flights to China in over 50 years amid an easing of tensions between the two countries.
China considers Taiwan a renegade province and there are no diplomatic relations or non-stop flights between the two sides, although airlines from Hong Kong and Macau do carry passengers between China and Taiwan through their respective home bases.
Last month, however, Taiwan said it was willing to allow its airlines to serve Shanghai via Hong Kong or Macau during the lunar new year holiday period between the end of January and early February. Chinese carriers will still not be allowed to serve Taiwan, however.
Far Eastern Air Transport was the first Taiwanese airline to win approval for a handful of indirect charter flights. It will operate Boeing 757s on a Taipei-Macau-Shanghai return routing between 27-29 January, and again between 5-7 February.
Five other Taiwanese airlines later won approval for services to Shanghai from either Taipei or Kaohsiung - with brief transit stops in Hong Kong or Macau - namely China Airlines, EVA Air, Mandarin Airlines, TransAsia Airways and UNI Air.
The carriers hope the temporary introduction of indirect charter flights will lead to regular services, eventually without stopovers in third points.
Source: Flight International
