China Southern Airlines Co Ltd will launch its first direct flight between Guangzhou in Guangdong province to Nairobi in Kenya on Wednesday. It will be the Chinese carriers' only direct route from China to the African mainland.

China Southern, which is China's largest airline in terms of the number of aircraft, will run three flights weekly and use Airbus 330 jets on the new route.

"It will be more convenient for Chinese residents to visit Africa when the direct flights start," Zhang Zifang, the carrier's chief operating officer, said.

Chinese residents will be able transfer to around 40 African destinations via the Guangzhou-Nairobi route, Zhang added.

During a promotion period, a round-trip ticket in economy class will cost from 4,900 yuan ($788.9）.

Guangzhou is a crucial transportation hub to Africa. More than 120,000 passengers traveled between China and Kenya last year, with 28 percent of them going through Guangzhou.