SINGAPORE - Budget airline Tigerair launched its direct flights between Singapore and China's Ningbo, a port city in East China's Zhejiang province, the airline said on Thursday.

Starting from Dec 26, Tigerair will call at Ningbo three times every fortnight, on every alternate Thursday, Tuesday and Saturday.

The airline is said to be the sole airline making a direct Ningbo call from Singapore.

"Ningbo's comprehensive and reliable transport networks makes it an ideal first stop for those who wanting to explore various key Chinese cities in a single itinerary," said Ho Yuen Sang, chief operating officer at Tigerair.

With the latest addition, Tigerair serves a total of eight destinations in China, including Guangzhou, Haikou, Lijiang, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan.

"All of these destinations have in recent years experienced a burgeoning demand in air traffic with the rest of the Asia-Pacific as a result of increasing tourism and trade links," the airline added.

One-way fare for the Singapore-Ningbo route is currently available from S$214 ($168.8), inclusive of taxes and other charges.