THE first chartered flight of China Southern Airlines between Guangzhou and Taipei left Guangzhou yesterday, unveiling the chartered flight service to Taiwan businesspeople working the Pearl River Delta area.

The Boeing 777A of China Southern Airlines, carrying 373 businesspeople and their families, and 14 attendants, took off from the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 10 a.m.

The attendants for the chartered flight were selected from 1,400 attendants at the airline.

Tang Jing'an, captain of the first chartered flight, said before departure that all the crewmembers believed we would make smooth, safe and sound flights. The cabin of the plane was decorated with flowers and ornaments. During the flight, passengers enjoyed entertaining performances, songs in Fujian and Taiwanese dialects, and Taiwanese food, according to a Yangcheng Evening News report.

The company has scheduled six flights to Taiwan and another six back to Guangzhou during the Spring Festival travel season.

The passengers received precious gifts from the airline, including a set of commemorative stamps issued by Guangzhou Postal Service for the maiden flight of the airline this year.

A questionnaire on the chartered flight over 100 Taiwanese businesspeople in Dongguan shows 56.8 percent are satisfied with chartered flight service this year and 86.7 percent Taiwanese businesspeople thought Shenzhen should be included as one base for charted flight service because Shenzhen is more convenient for Taiwanese who mainly work and live in its neighboring Huizhou, Dongguan cities. It costs three more hours to go to Guangzhou airport than Shenzhen.

Around 94 percent hope direct flights between the mainland and the island.

Editor: Yan