Industry and city leaders and guests meet in Hefei for a Hefei-Macao flight promotion conference.

A direct flight form Hefei, Anhui's capital city, to Macao will open on Dec 18, becoming the fourth flight from Hefei to cities outside the Chinese mainland. Other direct flights previously announced are those from Hefei to Seoul, Singapore and Chinese Taipei.

At a Hefei-Macao flight market promotion conference, spokesmen said an Air Macao Airbus 315 will travel from Hefei to Macao each Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Flight number NX129 will depart Hefei at 2:25 pm and arrive in Macao at 5:10 pm for a total flight time of 2.5 hours. Flights will depart Macao at 10:55 am and arrive at 1:35 pm.

Hu Tianfang, general manager at the Hefei office of Air Macao, said that ticket discounts will be available during the promotion period. For example, single tickets after the promotional period will cost 2,480 yuan ($372). But during the promotional period, Air Macao will offer 1,350 yuan ($202.50) tickets to individual tourists and $150 tickets for members of tour groups.

Special discounts also will be offered for round-trip tickets and three-night stays at top hotels. Passengers with an Air Macao boarding passes also can enjoy discounts at more than 80 stores in Macao.

Passengers can now book the ticket online at the Air Macau website or call the Hefei office of Air Macao.

Hu also said that passengers from Hefei can endorse their tickets from Hefei to Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Yang Jianhua, deputy general manager of Air Macau, said the direct flight will offer a more convenient option for visitors and promote the economic and cultural partnerships between both destinations.

By Audrey and Chen Zhilin