Aerial photo taken on Sept. 1, 2019 shows the panoramic view of Male, capital of Maldives.  (Photo by Wang Mingliang/Xinhua)

With the launch on Wednesday of a direct charter flight, people in east China's Fujian Province now find it more convenient to enjoy their beach vacations in the atoll nation of the Maldives, renowned for its burgeoning tourism.

Operated by Xiamen Air, the inaugural charter flight of MF8017 took off from Fuzhou Changle International Airport at 7 a.m. on Wednesday and arrived at Male, capital of the country in the Indian Ocean, after a 7-hour flight.

Huda Ali Shareef, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Maldives, said at the launch ceremony that with the introduction of this direct charter flight, both the time and cost of travel between the two destinations have now been significantly reduced.

"We are very hopeful that the people-to-people exchanges between China and the Maldives will continue to strengthen over the coming year," said the Maldivian official.

In addition to this inaugural flight, the airlines will also operate chartered flights from Fuzhou to Male on Feb. 18 and 22.