Taipei, July 3 (CNA) The launch of weekend direct charter flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will open a new page in cross-strait exchanges and represents President Ma Ying-jeou's fulfillment of his first campaign promise, the minister of transportation and communications said Thursday. 

   Mao Chih-kuo called the Friday launch significant, saying it will be the first step toward regular direct flights between Taiwan and China. 

   Mao noted that the flights have evolved from the once-per-year Chinese New Year charter flights to holiday charter flights for major traditional festivals, including the Chinese New Year holiday, the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

   During talks on the cross-strait air links, Mao recalled that the two sides both knew that regular cross-strait transport exchanges could only be achieved in progressive steps. As a result, the charter flight services were merely expanded to a total of 36 round-trip flights per week in the hope that they will serve as a good model for regular cross-strait flights at a future date, the minister noted. 

   In the first weekend of the Friday-to-Monday charter flight services, more than 3,500 passengers will fly from Taiwan to China, while 3,000 people will arrive from China. 

   The figures show that demand for the flights is big in both Taiwan and China, Mao added. (By Elizabeth Hsu) ENDITEM/J