China Southern Airlines on Monday inaugurated the first direct commercial air route between Beijing and Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, marking a new milestone in air connectivity between China and Central Asia.

The maiden flight, CZ6051, carrying 173 passengers, departed from Beijing Daxing International Airport at noon and landed in Dushanbe later in the day, officially launching the first nonstop route operated by a Chinese carrier between the two capitals.

A Boeing 787 was deployed for the inaugural journey. Future flights will operate with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft, operating twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

With the exception of its inaugural flight, the departure time for CZ6051 will be set for 5 pm from Beijing and scheduled to arrive in Dushanbe at 9 pm local time, with a flight time of approximately seven hours. The return leg, CZ6052, will leave Dushanbe at 10:30 pm and arrive in Beijing at 7:20 am the following day, completing the trip in about six hours.

Previously, travelers between the two cities typically had to connect through Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, making total travel time more than 11 hours.

"The new route will build a more convenient air bridge between China and Tajikistan, strengthening trade, tourism and cultural ties, and injecting new momentum into regional connectivity," said Qu Guangji, deputy general manager of China Southern Airlines.

Saidzoda Zohir, Tajikistan's ambassador to China, echoed the sentiment, noting the direct link would accelerate commerce, attract investment and consolidate trade relations under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"The new route also offers Chinese travelers easier access to Tajikistan's unique natural landscapes and historical heritage. Families, students and cultural delegations are expected to forge closer people-to-people connections through the expanded air link," he said.

The launch comes as China's international aviation sector continues its steady recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China reported in April that international flights and passenger volumes continued to rise in the first quarter.

During the period, Chinese and foreign airlines operated an average of 6,395 international passenger flights per week, representing 83.9 percent of the level recorded in 2019, according to Shang Kejia, deputy director of the administration's transport department.

Flights between China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have recovered to 94.5 percent pre-pandemic levels, outpacing the overall average.

Passenger volume also showed strong growth. Chinese airlines carried 18.93 million international traveler trips in the first quarter, up 34 percent from last year and 4.5 percent higher than in the same period in 2019. Passenger traffic to Northeast Asia rose by 20 percent, while traffic to West Asia, Central Asia, Europe and Africa rose by 91 percent, 233 percent, 71 percent and 241 percent, respectively, compared to 2019 figures.

Shang said China will continue supporting the development of international air travel, with a focus on route optimization and expansion in emerging markets aligned with the Belt and Road Initiative.

As the summer travel season approaches, China Southern Airlines is rolling out additional international routes to meet peak demand and enhance connectivity under the BRI, alongside the Beijing-Dushanbe service.

New direct flights set to launch this summer include a Guangzhou-Almaty service on June 25 and Guangzhou-Tashkent on June 30, both operating thrice a week. A Harbin-Vladivostok route is scheduled to launch on July 1, with two round trips weekly.

With these additions and frequent increases along popular routes to Australia and Southeast Asia, China Southern Airlines' total number of international and regional routes will reach 150, with 2,000 flights scheduled weekly.

luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn