Air France-KLM, the Dutch airline company pleans to schedule nonstop flights between Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, to Hangzhou, provincial capital of E.China's Zhejiang Province. The photo is a KLM Boeing 747-400 passenger jet at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). [CFP]

Air France-KLM Group, Europe's largest airline, will start flying nonstop between Amsterdam and Hangzhou from May 8, making it the first European carrier to launch a new route to China after the global economic crisis struck a devastating blow to the industry since late 2008.

The new service, to be operated three times a week, reflects a steady improvement in international routes from the precipitous fall in demand that characterized the early part of 2009, analysts said.

KLM will fly the route with the Boeing 777-200 ER, which can carry 318 passengers, Air France-KLM said on Monday. The two airlines officially merged in 2004 by forming a holding company, but maintained their distinct identities.

The Franco-Dutch airline group will be the first carrier to offer direct service between Europe and Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province, one of the country's wealthiest provinces.

Hangzhou will become the airline group's fifth destination on the Chinese mainland, after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

"International air routes to and from China started to show improvement in terms of volume since the second half of last year. After experiencing a plunge in passenger demand in 2008 and 2009, airlines are expected to see traffic return to the pre-crisis level this year," said Li Lei, an aviation analyst with Citic China Securities.