KLM is to start flying to the Chinese city of Xiamen, its seventh destination in the country.
The service, which commences on March 27, will be the only direct link between the city and Europe. Flights will operate from Amsterdam on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with return flights the following day.
Xiamen, which is about 200 miles north-east of Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, is a deep water port, an increasingly important banking centre and the location of several major trade fairs.
Flights will be operated with a Boeing 777-200ER seating 318 passengers, with 35 in World Business Class and 283 in economy.
KLM’s SkyTeam partner China Southern Airlines offers connecting flights to and from Xiamen from many destinations in China. Xiamen’s addition will mean that KLM will operate 43 weekly frequencies to China. The airline claims to offer the largest number of destinations to the country of any European carrier.