Ever First Cross-Strait direct Weekend Charter Flight Took Off This Morning;
China Southern Airlines Becomes Mainland First Carrier Landing In Taiwan;
Airline Chairman Liu Shaoyong Pilots Inaugural 100 Minute Flight
GUANGZHOU, China – July 4, 2008 - China Southern Airlines, (NYSE: ZNH, HKSE: 1055, SHA 600029) - www.csair.com/global - the newest member of SkyTeam and the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China, today launched new cross-strait weekend charter service between Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou and Taipei Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan.
Airline Chairman Liu Shaoyang captained the flight as the China Southern Airbus A330 departed this morning at 6:31 a.m. with 256 passengers. CZ 3097 arrived 100 minutes later with a safe arrival in Taipei. This historic flight is in keeping in the recent thawing of relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and China Southern’s flight was the first Chinese carrier to depart the mainland and arrive in Taiwan under the new agreement.
China Southern’s Chairman Liu has more than three decades in the aviation industry and the airline started two months ago to carry out preparatory work for the new Taiwan charter flights including:
- flight plans
- navigation rights
- sales agreements
- route applications
- collecting navigation information and
- ground handling agency agreement
In total some 66 preparatory stages had to be completed before the charter flights could begin. To offer passengers better and more convenient services, China Southern Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding of a strategic cooperative agreement with Taiwan -based China Airlines last June 23 in Guangzhou.
To carry out these cross-strait direct charter flights, China Southern not only had to find the right equipment that could be serviced in Taipei – the Airbus A 330 - but even assigned flight attendants fluent in Southern Fujian and Hakka languages and offered passengers traditional Guangdong radish cake.
China Southern Airlines completed the very first cross-straight charter flight on January 29, 2005 and in total has operated 119 flights and carried 17,386 passengers during peak holiday periods.
The newest member of SkyTeam - www.skyteam.com - and the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China for the past 29 years, China Southern Airlines - www.csair.com/global - connects more than 80 cities around the globe. Major business and vacation destinations served in China include: Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan and as well as International service, including: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Lagos, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Moscow, Osaka, Paris, Penang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.
For China Southern Airlines reservations and information, please contact your local travel agent.