FUZHOU, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Flight MF877, operated by China's Xiamen Air, departed from Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province and arrived in Seoul in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Wednesday, marking the official opening of the first direct passenger flight route between the two cities.

It is also the first regularly-scheduled direct passenger flight route linking Fuzhou with the ROK.

There is a daily round-trip service on this route -- MF877 from Fuzhou to Seoul and MF878 in the opposite direction. The single-trip made by MF877 on Wednesday took two hours and 15 minutes to complete.

The opening of the new route will not only meet robust tourist demand but also promote economic and trade exchanges, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries and regions in Northeast Asia, said Huang Zhenyang, deputy general manager of the Fuzhou branch of Xiamen Air.