SPRING Airlines, China's first budget carrier, plans to launch its maiden international route to Japan by the end of July.

The private carrier is scheduled to fly three chartered weekly A320 flights between Shanghai and Ibaraki Airport, about 80 kilometers from Tokyo, according to an agreement signed by the Spring Airlines and the Ibaraki government yesterday.

In China, only appointed tourism groups and agencies can book tickets for chartered flights. Spring Airlines also intends to operate regular flights after the World Expo, which will allow individuals to buy tickets.

"In Japan, a small number of chartered flight tickets is open to individuals, so we are likely to sell 10 percent to 20 percent of tickets to individuals in that country initially," said Wang Zhenghua, the airline's chairman.

Under Japan's visa policy from July, Chinese tourists will no longer need to have an annual income of 250,000 yuan (US$36,610), which is set to boost travel demand to the country.