80-minute journey ends a 59-year wait

Fanfare in Taiwan at arrival of first daily direct flights and maritime cargo

Taiwan marked the historic start of direct transport links across the Taiwan Strait with much fanfare yesterday as the first batch of daily direct flights and maritime cargo services arrived from the mainland.

Four water tanks were used to stage a water-cannon show when a Shenzhen Airlines plane landed at Taipei's Songshan Airport at 8.40am yesterday, becoming the first direct transport link across the strait since 1949. Passengers were welcomed by a traditional lion dance.

Huang Ming-chih, head of the Taiwanese Businessmen's Association in Shenzhen, who was aboard the landmark flight, said his wait was finally over.

'I have dreamt of this for more than 10 years, and now the distance between home and office is just an 80-minute journey, meaning I am much closer to home,' Mr Huang said.

The journey was made possible after Taiwanese and mainland negotiators signed an agreement in Taipei last month to operate 108 daily direct flights a week and 60 cargo charters a month.

About 40 minutes before the Shenzhen Airlines flight's arrival, a Taiwanese aircraft carrying 144 passengers left the island for Shanghai. It crossed near a mainland flight heading to Taoyuan in Taiwan - although the two planes were kept 3,000 metres apart in altitude. It was the first time any commercial planes from the two sides had appeared on the same air route.