On May 22, more than 40 tourists flew directly from Hefei Xinqiao Airport to Frankfurt, Germany. This was the first Euro-bound travel group from Xinqiao airport, and the round-trip ticket cost only 3800 yuan ($609.05) (tax excluded) per person.

Ever since the route to Frankfurt was launched on March 30, a number of tours have been introduced by travel agencies in Anhui province. Anhui residents can now travel to Europe at much lower cost. A 12-day journey including visits to France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland now costs only 14,300 yuan ($2291.96).

The trips are now quite popular, especially among senior citizens. As visa applications usually take one and a half months, those who are interested might want to start preparing early.

The Anhui Civil Airport Group is planning to open more international air routes in which passengers transfer in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou.