Passengers wait at the boarding gate at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport before their flight to Vancouver, Canada, on Oct 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"It saves three to four hours to fly directly from Qingdao to Vancouver," said a female passenger surnamed Wei, adding that the direct service is much more convenient than having to transfer in Beijing or Shanghai.

As of Friday, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport had 30 international and regional passenger routes. The number of inbound foreign travelers has increased significantly this year, with passenger numbers from South Korea and Southeast Asia rising 14.6 percent and 85.6 percent year-on-year, respectively. From January to August, some 440,000 foreign travelers entered China through Qingdao airport, an increase of 34 percent year-on-year.

During the National Day holiday, the number of inbound and outbound passengers traveling through Qingdao airport increased by more than 15 percent compared with normal days, according to Shi Saifeng, deputy director of the policy research department of the aviation marketing committee of Qingdao International Airport Group.

The airport has strengthened border-crossing support and established a comprehensive service center for overseas visitors operating around the clock, integrating services covering payments, culture and tourism, telecommunications and transportation, he added.