Liu Shaoyong (2nd L), Chairman of the Board in China Southern Airlines Limited, and Ringo Chao Kuo-Shui (3rd L), chairman of China Airlines, attend a signing ceremony of a memorandum of cooperation in Guangzhou on Monday, June 23, 2008.

GUANGZHOU June 23, (Agencies)--Taiwan's largest carrier China Airlines (CAL) and China Southern Airlines of the Chinese mainland said on Monday that they have agreed to cooperate on the daily operations of cross-straits charter flights, the China News Service reported.

The Chinese mainland and Taiwan signed a landmark deal on June 13 to launch regular direct flights. Mainland and Taiwan airlines will be allowed to operate up to 18 round-trip flights every weekend, from Friday to Monday.

The two airlines signed a memorandum of cooperation on Monday, allowing them to represent each other's businesses in passenger, cargo, maintenance, and ground handling operations, China Airlines said in a statement on its website. Under the pact signed in Guangzhou, China Southern will support CAL's bid to join the SkyTeam alliance.

Both carriers will continuallyrevise the details of their operations based on the new memorandum, which creates a win-win situation for passengers who travel across the straits by providing high-quality and convenient service, CAL said.

CAL and China Southern Airlines already had a strong partnership prior to signing the new memorandum, working together on inter-line check-in, passenger baggage check-in, Partnership Mileage Program, and inter-line ticket issuing.

China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou, operates more than 330 aircrafts and has the most extensive domestic air network in China.

In 2007, according to International Air Transport Association, China Southern Airlines ranked number one in Asia in annual passenger traffic volume, and ranked fourth worldwide. China Southern Airlines is a member of SkyTeam, and together with its airline partners it serves more than 840 cities in 162 countries.

CAL is the largest airline in Taiwan. It has 67 planes offering passengers and cargo services to 68 destinations in 25 countries.

Last Friday, China Airlines' smaller rival Eva Airways signed an agreement with China Eastern Airlines to collaborate on ticket issuing and luggage handling.

Other mainland airlines assigned by regulators to fly directly to Taiwan include Air China, Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.