Direct flight linking Jinan and Helsinki to be launched

A direct flight is to be launched between Jinan, the capital of East China's Shandong province and Helsinki, the capital of Finland, on April 8.

The new route, operated by Tibet Airlines, will be the fifth intercontinental route launched at Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport.

After the opening of the new route, the flight time between the two cities will be reduced to about 10 hours. Two round trips will be scheduled every Monday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, a direct flight between Jinan and Lhasa, the capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, will also be opened to make it more convenient to travel between the two places. Shandong then will be only three and a half hours by air from Tibet.

Founded in 2011, Tibet Airlines is the first airline company in China on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau based in Lhasa Kongga International Airport. It houses a fleet of 31 aircraft so far and has launched more than 60 domestic and international routes to cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou in Fujian province, Sanya in Hainan province, and Koh Samui in Thailand.