Pet travel to China just got a little easier.  Pet friendly KLM Airlines will launch scheduled service between Amsterdam and Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport in China beginning May 8, 2010. KLM is the first airline to offer direct service between Hangzhou and Europe, where their pet hotel is located at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. 

The new roundtrip service will be operated three times a week, departing from Schiphol on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and returning from Hangzhou on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Flights will be operated with a Boeing 777-200ER, which has pressurized, climate controlled cargo holds for pets.

Hangzhou is the capital of the province Zhejiang, which, together with the neighbouring province Fujian, is home to more than 80 million people. Via Hangzhou, passengers can catch connecting flights to other destinations within China once their pets have cleared through customs for entering the country.

"KLM is proud to add this 63rd intercontinental destination to its network. KLM has thus improved China’s connection with Europe and the rest of the world,” said KLM President & CEO Peter Hartman in an email to pet-friendly pet travel companies. "Furthermore, KLM has hereby given an enormous impulse to Schiphol’s mainport status. The KLM network is crucial to the Dutch economy, contributing to a favourable business establishment climate, generating employment and creating opportunities for Dutch businesses."