Shantou Waisha airport (SWA) - located in China's Guangdong Province - will open its first International route next month following approval from the local government.

On February 2nd, JetStar will begin linking Shantou and Singapore, with three-times weekly flights which are expected to reduce journey time between the cities from ten to three hours.

The airport serves both military and civilian flights and the new route is the first step for the airport in attracting foreign carriers.

It is JetStar's second service to mainland China; A Singapore-Haikou service began on 16th December.