DUBLIN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The direct flight service between China's Hong Kong and Ireland's Dublin was launched on Saturday as an Airbus A350-900 of Cathay Pacific departing from Hong Kong safely landed at Dublin Airport earlier in the day.

This is the first direct flight service between Hong Kong and Dublin, and also the first direct flight route ever launched between China and Ireland.

This is a historic and momentous day for Dublin Airport and also a major milestone for the entire Irish economy, said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison.

According to Harrison, trade between Ireland and China is worth more than 8 billion euros (9.3 billion U.S. dollars) per annum, and almost 100 Irish firms have operations in China. Currently, there are an estimated 4,000 Irish people living in Hong Kong and the number of the people travelling between Hong Kong and Dublin stands at about 40,000 a year.

"I have no doubt this new route will be popular for business and leisure travellers. We will work closely with Cathay Pacific to market the new route," said Harrison.

The direct flight service is operated by Cathay Pacific on a four-times-a-week basis.

Cathay Pacific is a Hong Kong-based airline with a fleet of 144 aircraft, offering flights to 197 destinations in 48 countries and regions, said a press release of Dublin Airport.

Dublin Airport, the largest airport in Ireland, handles annually about 85 percent of the total flight passengers in the country, according to the airport's 2017 statistics.