The launching ceremony of the flight from Xi'an to Astana by Air China on April 21, 2023 Photo: Courtesy of Air China

Air China on Friday unveiled a direct route from Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province to Astana in Kazakhstan, the first fixed international service to Kazakhstan via Shaanxi by the carrier, which is believed to further increase the connection between China and Central Asia.

The flight will operate twice per week, flying from Xi'an on Mondays and Fridays, and returning on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The route is driven by the increasing demand between China and Kazakhstan for personnel exchanges and it will strengthen the connections in terms of trade, culture and traveling of the two countries, and boost the aviation markets of both countries, said Zhang Sheng, a vice general manager of China National Holding Co at the press conference held in Xi'an.

Air China has so far launched around 60 routes along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), connecting 36 cities in 26 countries and regions since 2013.

Air China said it has worked to increase the recovery of the routes to shrug off the impact of the epidemic, and routes along the BRI are one of the key strategic priorities. So far this year, it has relaunched 70 to 80 percent of the routes along the BRI, and the flights recovered to 60 percent in terms of the numbers.

Air China said it will further enhance its global aviation network, and increase the percentage of routes along the BRI as part of the group's international expansion.

In a roadmap for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the airport in Xi'an has been highlighted as one of key international aviation hubs in China, with the aim to increase the transport communications between the city and Central and Western Asia.

The launching ceremony of the flight from Xi'an to Astana by Air China on April 21, 2023 Photo: Courtesy of Air China

In September of 2022, Kazakhstan announced to set up a Consulate General in Xi'an, making the city an important place to increase the connection between the two countries.

The route opening is also part of the answers for the domestic aviation industry which gradually increases international capacity brought by border barrier lifting, Li Xiaojin, an expert via industry news portal carnoc.com told the Global Times on Friday.

Opening the new route will enhance the position of Kazakhstan in the BRI, and also build an example for the aviation to support the BRI, Li added.

Official data showed that the bilateral trade between the two countries has witnessed a fast development in recent years, and the trade has increased from $28.5 billion in 2013 to $31.1 billion in 2022. China has been ranking the second largest trade partner with Kazakhstan for years, and China is also the fifth largest investor country for the Central Asian country.