HEFEI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A direct air route was launched Wednesday between Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province and Osaka, Japan's second-largest city.

The route is operated by Spring Airlines with four flights per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It will shorten the travel time between the two cities to two and half hours.

The flight departs from Hefei at 3:20 p.m. Beijing Time and arrives at Osaka at 5:55 p.m. local time. The return flight leaves Osaka at 10:20 a.m. local time and reaches Hefei at 1:30 p.m. Beijing Time.

The maiden flight was welcomed by passengers and was 100 percent full, said Sun Yu, a manager with the airlines, adding that March to August is the best season to visit Osaka.