Mainland China and Taiwan began the first regularly scheduled nonstop flights between them in nearly 60 years, a significant step toward enhancing ties between the two sides.

The new weekend charter flights, the first of which took off on Jul. 4, are part of a burgeoning detente across the Taiwan Strait since Taiwan's new leader Ma Ying-jeou took office in May.

The two sides have also agreed to a sharp increase in the number of mainland tourists allowed to go to Taiwan -- the first group of which arrived on the island on Jul. 4 as well.

Many analysts believe the trend could provide a boost to Taiwan's economy.

The flow of investment and tourism from Taiwan to mainland China has mushroomed over the past two decades.

But with a ban on direct flights, travelers had to make time-consuming detours through third locations such as Hong Kong SAR or Macau SAR.

Under a deal reached last month, after years of on-and-off negotiations, a total of 36 nonstop flights will go each weekend between Taiwan and five mainland cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.

The small number of flights under the current arrangement means the immediate impact will be limited.

Some have complained that the flights are too expensive -- a round-trip ticket from Taipei to Beijing costs about US$700.

The current flights also must pass through Hong Kong airspace, meaning they're still slower than direct flights would be.

But they are also faster than existing flights -- travel time between Taipei and Shanghai is halved, to about three hours from six hours.

As many as a million of Taiwan's 23 million people are estimated to live and work in mainland China at least part of the year.

But in the short term, tourists are likely to be the major customers for the weekend charter flights.

Eventually, Taiwan is hoping to have as many as 3,000 mainland tourists arrive daily.

Officials said about 750 mainland tourists were to be on the first charter flights from China to Taiwan on Jul. 4.

Photograph: On Jul. 4, a brief launching ceremony for the cross-strait weekend charter flights was held prior to the departure of first weekend charter from Beijing at around 08:30. Air China utilised its A330-200 in Star Alliance livery to operate the airline's first Beijing-outbound cross-strait weekend charter flight.