WUHAN - China Southern Airlines Wednesday launched a direct air route between Wuhan city in Central China's Hubei province and London.

The first flight departed from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 2:20 pm Wednesday Beijing time and will arrive in London less than 12 hours later, the Hubei airport group announced.

China Southern Airlines will use an Airbus A300-200 for the service.

The outbound flight will depart from Wuhan at 2:25 pm Beijing time and arrive in London at 6:45 pm local time every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The return flights will leave London at 10:10 pm local time and arrive in Wuhan at 3:35 pm Beijing time.

Passengers from Wuhan to London used to have to transfer from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou city, creating a journey of at least 20 hours. The new flight will save time and money for passengers.

The new air route is also expected to further boost cooperation and communication between Wuhan city and Britain. Currently there are 310 British companies doing business in Wuhan, with a total investment of $5.25 billion.