Direct flights link mainland's Haikou with Kaohsiung

A new air route opened Saturday between Haikou, capital of China's southernmost island province Hainan, and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Taiwan's Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) is operating the new air route, with two round-trip direct flights a week, company sources said at Saturday's launch ceremony at Haikou's Meilan Airport.

The flights are scheduled for every Wednesday and Saturday, and a one-way trip takes about two hours.

Airport authorities in Haikou said four other airline companies are operating flights between Haikou and Taiwan province, including China Airlines, EVA Air, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

A FAT spokesman said the company plans to open more routes between the mainland and Taiwan, including direct flights from Hefei, Chengdu and Nanning to Kaohsiung, and from Guiyang to Taipei.