to Taiwan as soon as services are allowed. "We are fully prepared to operate regular direct flights," Board Secretary Huang Bin said by phone yesterday.
He declined to confirm or deny a report by the Commercial Times that the Beijing-based carrier plans to apply to open an office in Taiwan after the island's new government is installed on May 20.
Taiwan President-Elect Ma Ying-jeou has pledged to end a five-decade ban on regular direct flights to China's mainland as soon as he takes office. Links have been limited since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, forcing passengers to travel via Hong Kong or another destination.
Airlines including Air China already fly occasional charter services across the Straits under a government policy allowing direct flights around Chinese holidays.
