Air China launched a new route from Hangzhou to Frankfurt in Europe via Beijing on October 27, 2009.

This is the first scheduled intercontinental passenger route from Zhejiang, according to Huang Weilin, general manager of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

Five flights will depart from Hangzhou every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 Beijing time and arrive in Frankfurt at 06:00 local time.

Return flights will depart Frankfurt every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 14:40 local time, arriving in Beijing at 11:00 Beijing time.

From January 1, 2010, the frequency will be increased to one flight each day.

With Zhejiang’s relationship with Europe closing in terms of commerce and trade, cultural communication and tourism, there’s a huge market demand for Zhejiang-Europe routes, a delegate from Air China said at a press conference held at Hangzhou’s Shangri-la on October 22. The flights bring great convenience to Zhejiang citizens, who will no longer need to take a train to Shanghai or Beijing for a transfer, he added.

According to reports, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is expected to open several international air routes in the first half of 2010, including a scheduled route from Hangzhou to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, a charter route from Hangzhou to Okinawa, Japan, and a Hangzhou-Dubai-Madrid roundtrip route.

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is the principal airport serving Hangzhou, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta region and the provincial capital of Zhejiang. The airport is built on the southern shore of the Qiantang River in the Xiaoshan district and is located 27 km away from downtown Hangzhou.

By Paul