Japan Airlines (JAL) launched flights between Tokyo and Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, on June 2, bringing the number of China-bound JAL routes to 17.

Flights will be available on this new route every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Boeing 767-300 passenger planes will be used for flight JL608 from Xiamen to Tokyo and the return flight JL607 from Tokyo to Xiamen.

At present, six Japanese and seven Chinese cities are linked by direct air routes.

Another leading Japanese airlines, All Nippon Airway, launched the first air route between Xiamen and Tokyo in April this year.

( People's Daily June 3, 2002)