The Cross-Strait Flight Agreement, signed on November 4, 2008, has been widely received in the airline industry. On November 5th, Air China Party Secretary Tan Zhihong announced during a press interview that the "Jiang-Chen meeting" was a milestone in the institutionalization of ARATS and SEF, as well as a major event to be included in the annals of cross-strait relations. The Flight Agreement is not only a further refinement to the agreement signed by the two parties in Beijing this past June, but also signified an important move on the part of both parties to put forth an utmost effort to seek well-being for compatriots on both sides of the traits and seek peace. It has thus received enthusiastic praise and support. Air China is fully prepared for direct cross-strait flights.

Through joint efforts, both parties signed agreements covering four areas including air transport, direct shipping, direct mail, and food hygiene. Regarding air transport, the two sides formally agreed to open direct cross-strait routes and also expanded the weekend charger flight schedule to include weekday flights. The number of flights was increased to 108. Following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Nanjing, which were opened in June as flight destinations, the mainland opened an additional 16 cities as destinations. The two sides agreed to respectively open two sites to operate cargo charger flights, which will add up to a total of 60 round-trip flights each month to be run by two or three companies with divided areas of responsibility. Air China attaches equal importance to economic performance and social responsibility. Whether serving Chinese New Year charter flights, holiday charter flights or weekend charter flights, Air China always reinforces its corporate responsibility to satisfy the needs of compatriots on both sides of the straits and build a bridge for cross-straits communication and exchange. After the first two-side talks ended in June, Air China started operating two routes from Beijing to Taipei and Shanghai to Taipei, with the purpose of providing the most convenient transport service to passengers on both sides. It is Air China's hope that passengers will fully appreciate its "Four C" service and that Taiwanese compatriots will feel the warmth of the motherland while traveling. After completion of these talks, Air China hopes to include even more routes. It has prepared more than ten newly painted aircrafts to operate cross-straits routes, including Airbus 330 and Boeing 737-800. In order to provide the highest quality service to passengers, Air China selected a number of highly professional and technically skilled crew members with rich experience on cross-strait routes. Air China will make every effort to provide exquisite cabin cuisine in order to meet the different taste requirements of mainland and Taiwanese compatriots. In addition, Air China has already sent staff to Taiwan to set up preparatory office, thus providing more convenient services to Taiwanese passengers.

ARATS and SEF agreed that there will be direct handover by air traffic control departments on both sides for the direct routes. This arrangement has been a popular move representing the aspirations of all and has been agreed upon by compatriots on both sides of the straits. Although previously established weekend charter flights increased the air travel frequency and improved cross-straits communication and exchange, aircrafts flying on this route must pass through the Hong Kong Flight Information Region, thus there are no truly direct cross-strait flights. According to Mr. Tan Zhihong, when direct flights are implemented, the flying time from Beijing to Taipei will be reduced by approximately 90 minutes, and the time from Shanghai to Taipei will be nearly 80 minutes shorter. Therefore, it will take less than three hours to fly from Beijing to Taipei, and about 80 minutes to fly from Shanghai to Taipei. Another issue is the cost. For example, on the Beijing-Taipei-Beijing route, if the flight is operated by B737-800 aircraft, flying across Hong Kong adds RMB 90,000 to the cost. If there are six flights from Beijing to Taipei per week, and the loss from load damage is taken into consideration, the annual cost of flying across would reach RMB 30 million. A direct route would reduce the flying distance and, consequently, save time for passengers. Thus, not only is the operating cost of the airlines lower, passengers will also fully enjoy the resulting benefits. This agreement will bring enormous room for growth to the aviation market on both sides and will contribute to environmental protection by saving energy and reducing emissions at the same time. The benefits will be realized by all concerned.