--FILE--Passengers board a plane of Air China at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, 19 April 2012. Transportation officials from Taiwan and China agreed Friday (29 November 2013) to increase the number of regularly scheduled nonstop flights between the two countries and add more flights than last year for the Lunar New Year holiday. Under the agreement, there will be no restrictions on the total number of nonstop cross-Taiwan Strait flights during the holiday period from Jan. 17 to Feb. 14 to meet the needs of passengers and airlines, Taiwans Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said in a statement. The only exceptions will be busy airports in Taiwan and China, including Taipei International (Songshan) Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, which will not accept more flights for the holiday. According to initial estimates, there will be 105 additional flights to Shanghais Pudong International Airport, seven more flights to Beijing, 11 more flights to Guangzhou, 10 more flights to Shenzhen and 47 more flights to Hangzhou during the holiday period. If the estimates are accurate, the number of flights added between Taiwan and Pudong will be more than double the 50 flights added for the previous Lunar New Year break. The first day of the next lunar year is Jan. 31, 2014.
