KUNMING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Lucky Air is scheduled to launch a direct flight service linking Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, next Tuesday.

This will be the first direct flight service between Kunming and St. Petersburg, offering more convenient flights for passengers traveling between the two cities, the Yunnan-based low-cost carrier said.

Lucky Air will use an Airbus A330-300 for the service, offering three round trips a week with a single trip taking about 10 hours.

The direct flight service, following one between Kunming and Moscow, is Lucky Air's step to further tap the Russian market to help promote economic, cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries, the airlines said.