Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) A Mandarin Airlines aircraft with a Chinese calligraphy theme departed Taipei on Friday on its maiden flight, heading to the offshore county of Kinmen.

The aircraft, leased from from Tigerair Taiwan, was decorated with a Lunar New Year emblem, bearing the words "Hu Hu Sheng Feng (虎虎生風)" in Chinese, which means "Forging ahead with the vigor and vitality of the tiger."

According to Mandarin Airlines, the emblem celebrates the lunar Year of the Tiger and was done by renowned Taiwanese calligrapher Tong Yang-tze (董陽孜).

It is the first time that Tong's calligraphy is being displayed on a commercial plane, the airline said, adding that the calligraphy-themed aircraft livery is also a first in Asia.

Some passengers on the maiden flight from Taipei to Kinmen said the theme was a good omen for the new lunar year.

Mandarin Airlines, a subsidiary of Taiwan's flagship carrier China Airlines (CAL), began leasing aircraft from Tigerair Taiwan, another CAL subsidiary, in July 2020 to serve passengers on the routes between Taipei and the offshore counties of Kinmen and Penghu.