HANGZHOU, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The city of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province will launch direct flights to Tokyo and Seoul this year, the city's Lishe International Airport said.

Sources with the airport said it would also increase flights to domestic cities like Beijing and Qingdao in 2019.

Ningbo has one of the busiest ports in the world.

The airport is expanding its terminal facilities amid a surging passenger volume. The airport handled 11.7 million passengers in 2018, a yearly increase of 24.8 percent.