Xinqiao Airport in the city of Hefei, Anhui province, is expected to host three new national and international air routes, including the airport's first air route to Europe, this year, Hefei Daily reported.

Xinqiao Airport entered a winter-spring season starting October 28. During the period, the airport will operate 580 flights per week. Two new national routes will be added in the season, Eastern Airlines' Taiyuan-Hefei-Sanya route and Tianjin Airlines' Ordos-Zhengzhou-Hefei route. 

For international flights, Xiaoqiao Airport is discussing with airline operators in Thailand and Korea in hopes of restarting the suspended routes of Hefei-Bangkok and Hefei-Cheju by December 20.

In the meantime, it has secured a pre-contract agreement with Air China to launch the Hefei-Beijing-Frankfurt route by the end of this year. Routes from Hefei to the Americas will be available in the summer-autumn season next year.

It's also reported that the suspended Heifei-Beijing route will return starting October 28 with a new departure and arrival schedule. The route runs seven flights per day, and travelers are allowed to change their flights on the day for free.

By Huang Pei

Edited by Michael Thai