China Eastern Airlines announced on Friday flight fares for weekend charter flights from Shanghai to Taipei and immediately started selling tickets.

The carrier is charging 3,700 yuan (528.6 U.S. dollars) for a round trip of economy-class flight, while business class costs 5,500 yuan, both including taxes.

Group tickets, for at least 10 passengers, costs 2,600 yuan each, the company said in a statement.

Between July 4 and 31, a passenger aircraft will leave Nanjing city in east China at 9 a.m. every Friday and arrive at Taipei at noon. The returning flight will start at 1 p.m. and arrive and Nanjing at 4 p.m. the same day.

China Eastern will also arrange flights which will depart at 9 a.m. from Shanghai on every Monday and Friday and arrive in Taipei at noon. The return flight leaves at 1 p.m. from Taipei.

Shanghai Airlines, another to fly the route, announced the same prices on Thursday. It said ticket sales would start soon without giving a specific date.

Other airlines allowed to offer the weekend charters are still working on prices. They include Air China, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.

The cross-Strait weekend charters, to start July 4, will include 36 return flights each weekend from Friday to Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2008)