The first passenger air route between Xi’an, capital of northwest China‘s Shaanxi province, and Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, was officially launched on Saturday.
The route, along with an airway between Xi’an and Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, to be launched on May 18, will mark the complete connection of passenger flights from Xi’an, the starting point of the old Route Silk, up to five Central Asian countries.
For the Xi’an-Urumqi-Ashgabat route, flight CZ5085 will depart Xi’an at 5:30 p.m. Beijing time every Saturday and arrive in Ashgabat at 11:10 p.m. local time. On the return trip, flight CZ5086 will depart Ashgabat at 00:40 local time the next day and arrive in Xi’an at 12:30 Beijing time.
The Xi’an-Urumqi-Dushanbe route will operate every Thursday, starting May 18, under flight number CZ5083/4.
The flights will depart Xi’an at 19:05 Beijing time every Thursday and arrive in Dushanbe at 00:55 local time the next day. The return flight will depart the Tajik capital at 01:35 local time the next day and arrive in Xi’an at 12:30 Beijing time.
Most of the passengers on this route are business travelers, and tourist trips are expected to increase in the future, according to Li Jiuquan, deputy general manager of China Southern Airlines’ Xi’an branch.
“There were no flights from Xi’an to Dushanbe before. With this new flight, I can conveniently travel home during my vacation,” said Mi Yue, a Tajik student studying at Xi’an University of International Studies.
For Muroj Hamidov, director of Tajikistan’s Jahongard travel company, the new flight route will eliminate the need for tourists to take detours, which is expected to strengthen exchanges between the two countries.
Independent Uzbek analyst Gulshada Urazalieva echoed Hamidov’s view, saying the opening of flights between Xi’an and Central Asian cities is of great importance as it will promote economic and cultural exchanges between China and the region.
The Belt and Road initiative has promoted exchanges between China and Central Asian countries, said Party Secretary of the Northwest Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Xiong Jie.
He added that as the “Air Silk Road” continues to be forged, it will bring more opportunities for cooperation between the two sides in areas such as culture, business and tourism.
Source: Breaking Latest News