The first direct cargo charter flight between Taiwan and Chinese mainland took off on Wednesday evening, a breakthrough since 1949.

A Boeing 747-400 from China Airlines, Taiwan's largest air carrier, left Taipei at around 10:20 p.m. for Shanghai, carrying some 70 tons of chip equipment to the eastern Chinese metropolis.

Airport workers load up a cargo plane from China Airlines, Taiwan's largest air carrier, at Taiwan international airport in Taipei July 19, 2006. Taiwan's first non-stop cargo charter flight to Chinese mainland will take off for Shanghai on Wednesday, taking full direct transport links a step closer between two economies across the Straits. [Reuters]

The charter flight is expected to arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at about 1:00 a.m. Thursday after a nearly three hours' trip and then make a return flight two hours later.

The mainland-based Cross-Strait Aviation Transport Exchange Council and the Taipei Airlines Association agreed on a framework for chartered flights for festivals and special cases on June 14.

Five chartered cargo flights will carry equipment, parts and components to be used in factories on the mainland that owned by Taiwan business people.

Chartered flights will run during Qingming, or the tomb-sweeping festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to the Chinese lunar new year season, according to the agreement.

The two sides also agree to open chartered flights for emergency medical rescue, first aid for the handicapped and chartered cargo flights.

Direct transportation links have been cut since 1949. Under Taipei's current ban on direct links across the Taiwan Strait, all merchandise and passengers transit via third ports, normally Hong Kong or Macao.

In 2001, Taipei began to allow limited direct trade, post and transport links known as the "three mini links" between the islands of Kinmen and Matsu and selected ports in southeastern China's Fujian province.

The mainland has become Taiwan's leading overseas investment destination, with an estimated US$80 billion in mainland projects so far funded by the island's business community.

The mainland is also Taiwan's largest market, but the Taiwan authorities is still reluctant to lift the decades-old ban.