Air route links Kiev, Sanya

Employees of Ukraine International Airlines pose with staff members of Sanya Phoenix International Airport in South China's Hainan province on June 4. [Photo/people.cn]

A Boeing-767 Dreamliner carrying 238 tourists from Kiev, Ukraine landed at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in South China's Hainan province at 10:25 pm on June 4.

It was the first Kiev-Sanya flight made by Ukraine International Airlines and marked the 10th international route added by Sanya Phoenix Airport in 2019.

The new route will be operated by a Boeing-767 Dreamliner, with one round trip per week on Tuesdays and two trips per week starting in November. 

It is expected that more than 20,000 tourists from Ukraine and other European countries will take the flight in the year to come.

Sanya has been adding international air routes to stimulate the city's inbound tourism. 

To date, the city offers direct flights to 29 cities, including Zhukovsky, Ufa, Kazan, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. From January to April this year, Sanya received 259,500 inbound visits, up 20.11 percent year-on-year.

Through great efforts in attracting overseas tourists and improving its service quality, Sanya is eyeing a total of 900,000 inbound visits in 2019, according to the city's tourism and culture bureau.