The cross-strait charters (simplified Chinese: 两岸包机; traditional Chinese: 兩岸包機; pinyin: liǎng'àn bāojī) are special flights between Taiwan and Mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. After the Chinese Civil War, no direct flights were allowed between Taiwan and Mainland China due to mistrust and security concerns; this remained the case until 2003. Passengers had to transfer in a third city, such as Hong Kong, to complete their trip.