The first Shandong-Europe flight, Qingdao-Shenyang-Frankfurt airline, is scheduled to take off on March 27 from the Qingdao International Airport. Three flights have been scheduled each week, respectively on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, according to a press conference in Qingdao, Shandong province in eastern China.

The Airbus A340-300 aircraft will take off at 21:05 from Qingdao and arrive in Shenyang at 22:45, then restart the journey at 00:15 scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt at 05:35, local time (Beijing Time 11:35).

Returning flights will set off in Frankfurt at 22:15, local time (Beijing time 04:35) and land in Shenyang and Qingdao respectively at 14:30 and 17:25.

"Our flight will take off in the evening and arrive in Frankfurt in the morning local time, making it convenient for people to do business," said Juerg Christen, managing director of Greater China, Lufthansa German Airlines.

Passengers will just need one ticket for the whole route without a luggage transfer. Tickets can be purchased from the airlines sales offices or by visiting the official website of Lufthansa.

Defined as the "regional airline hub" in the 12th Five Year Plan of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Qingdao has adopted measures to promote the aviation industry, including launching the new airline route to enhance operations and communications between the city and Europe.

By Hu Qing and Huang Yaning (chinadaily.com.cn)

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Tom McGregor