QINGDAO will open direct passenger flights to Europe in the second half of next year.

    The opening of the flights will push up the number of Europe-bound tourists in Qingdao, which sees an annual 30-percent growth in the number of tourists heading for the continent, said Cheng Jing, manager of the HKCTS in Qingdao.

    The fifth national airport given an oil bonded policy, Qingdao Airport has seen a cost reduction of US$150 per ton of gasoline used in international flights, which is conducive to the increase of the international flights, said Wang Hong, the Party chief of the airport.

    The airport has 99 passenger flights to Japan and South Korea, which has signed agreements with cities in the middle and west of the country to function as one of their transit platforms.

    Qingdao signed cooperative memorandums with 29 foreign airlines at the China airport promotion meeting May 17.

    A twice-a-week flight to Los Angles opened in February.

    The meeting was attended by more than 140 representatives of the 31 airlines from home and abroad, 20 domestic airports with a yearly passenger handling capacity of over 8 million and 13 leading domestic travel agencies.

    (Li Hao, Meng Yan)