Photo: Courtesy of Xiamen Air

Xiamen Air unveiled a direct flight from Beijing to Doha on Friday, becoming the first carrier in China to fly to Qatar. The daily flight will depart from Beijing Daxing International Airport.

The airline will also start a direct flight service twice per week from Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province to Doha on October 31.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Qatar. China has become Qatar's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume between the two countries reaching $26.55 billion in 2022, up 54.7 percent from the previous year, official data showed.

Xiamen Air has actively been taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In 2013, it started two direct flights from Fuzhou and Xiamen to Jakarta, followed by the first intercontinental route from Xiamen, flying to Amsterdam.

So far, it has opened around 20 international routes, including Xiamen-Manila and Xiamen-Ho Chi Minh City, carrying 12 million passengers from countries along the BRI.

Other airlines have been opening new routes. On September 28, China Eastern Airlines started a direct flight from Shanghai to Istanbul in Turkey. The carrier said it might open more international routes to further optimize its intercontinental network.

China Eastern said that it opened 38 destinations along the BRI in 2023, operating 3.23 million passenger trips.

Air China said in April that it has started 60 routes along the BRI since 2013, connecting 36 cities in 26 countries and regions.

Global Times