Eastar Jet Co., South Korea's discount airline, said on Jan. 6 that it will start flight services to China starting late April of this year.

"We are planning to offer flight services to the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Shenyang from late April," the airline's chairman Lee Sang-jik said in a press conference held to commemorate its first year anniversary, according to local media Yonhap news agency.

Eastar Jet Co. also has plans to start services to Japan's Shikoku and Kyushu regions.

Lee also said that the low-cost carrier will add three more B737-700s to have a total of eight, and increase two domestic flight services as well.

The budget carrier began service in January 2009 and had net revenue of 50 billion won (US$44 million) in its first year of service, with projections to exceed 150 billion won (US$131 million) in 2010.