When an Aeroflot Airlines Airbus 320 landed at the city of Changchun’s LongJia International Airport, Jilin province, on July 4, there was an inaugural ceremony for a new air link between the city and Siberia and Moscow, in Russia.

 Addressing the ceremony was Wang Ku, the deputy director of Jilin's tourism department, who said that this new air service will be "an important bridge connecting Jilin and Russia, and even European countries in the future, and it will bring more Russians to Jilin, as well as carry more Jilin tourists to Moscow, and other parts of Russia."

Jilin saw an increase in the number of tourists last year, at around 1.48 million, up 7.56 percent year-on-year, according to Wang who noted that 250,000 Russians visited Jilin, making Russia the second largest source of Jilin’s tourists.

Aeroflot Airbus 320 ready for its maiden flight between Changchun, Irkutsk and Moscow, at Changchun's LongJia International Airport, on July 4. [Photo by Ding Xie/chinajilin.com.cn]

Aeroflot says it will be providing flights from Changchun to Irkutsk and Moscow every Monday initially, with the Moscow to Changchun flight scheduled for Sundays.

The director of a Changchun-based travel agency, Cui Yuanyu, noted that, "The flight can take Jilin tourists to their favorite destinations, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, and Lake Baikal by various travel packages and it will increase Jilin's connectivity to Europe and bring more tourists to Jilin."

Aeroflot says it expects to increase the number of flights to Jilin depending on market demand.