BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland airlines resumed four direct routes to Taiwan and offered discounted fares as cross-Strait travel has become brisk since the start of the summer, a mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday.

This undated file photo shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper, a landmark in Taipei, Southeast China's Taiwan. (Photo: Xinhua)

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told a regular press conference that the resumed services have been well received by travelers.

A Chengdu-Taichung route resumed by China Eastern Airlines on July 1 has operated seven round trips, with an average passenger load factor of 95 percent. Spring Airlines has operated five round trips between Ningbo and Kaohsiung since July 4, recording an average load factor of 87 percent.

The inaugural flight of Shandong Airlines' resumed Qingdao-Taichung service recorded a load factor of 97 percent on July 23, while Loong Air resumed services between Chengdu and Taichung on Tuesday, Chen said.

To further meet passenger demand, airlines on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have deployed larger aircraft on popular routes, added flights, and launched fare promotions and travel packages covering transport, accommodation and tourism, he said.

Direct air services across the Taiwan Strait were sharply reduced in February 2020, when Taiwan authorities suspended passenger flights linking the island with all mainland destinations except Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Chengdu.

Before 2020, 61 mainland destinations were connected to Taiwan by as many as 890 passenger flights a week. As of February this year, only 14 mainland cities were operating direct passenger services, with just over 300 flights a week.

In April, the mainland unveiled 10 measures to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, calling for the full normalization of direct cross-Strait passenger flights and supporting the early resumption of air routes linking Taiwan with such mainland cities as Harbin, Kunming, Lanzhou, Urumqi and Xi'an.

Chen reiterated that the mainland's position on promoting the full normalization of direct cross-Strait air links is positive and unequivocal.

He urged the Taiwan authorities to recognize the real demand for direct flight services, respond to public expectations and remove what he called unreasonable restrictions on cross-Strait air transport as soon as possible, allowing airlines on both sides to arrange flights independently based on market demand.