Chinese e-commerce website Dangdang.com says it will soon launch an online flight ticket service that a company spokesman says will go "beyond eLong (LONG) and Ctrip (CTRP) and sell 800,000 flight tickets in a year".

Ctrip sold 3.7 million flight tickets in 2005, and the amount for eLong surpassed 600,000.

Selling 800,000 tickets is a challenge but Dangdang.com already has 15.6 million customers, and 60% of those are professionals who are living in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. This is a key demographic that is disposed to purchasing air tickets, rather than train or bus tickets.

There is no word yet on a specific date for the launch of the new Internet travel service.