Regular charter flights between Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport will begin on September 29, marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.

Two Chinese carriers, China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and Japan's two largest airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, will operate four flights daily between the two airports, sources at the General Administration of Civil Aviation said on Saturday.

The flight arrangements were made by the two governments during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan in April.

Sixteen airlines from both countries are now conducting 738 flights every week, linking 19 Chinese and 17 Japanese cities. These airlines carried more than 7.5 million passengers in 2006.

To mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the two countries plan to hold cultural and sports exchange activities this year, including marathons in Beijing and Dalian.