Air China launches Chengdu-Kuerle flights on July 19, 2011

Air China, the country's flag carrier, launched non-stop flights from Chengdu city to Xinjiang's Kuerle city on Tuesday, China National Radio's website (cnr.cn) reported.

Carrying 119 passengers, the first flight from Chengdu of Sichuan province landed in Kuerle of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region at 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday after more than three hours of flying, according to the website.

Air China will provide the Chengdu-Kuerle round trip direct flight service every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, with one flight each day.

The aircraft used on this route is Airbus A319. It is scheduled to take off at 8:20 a.m. from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and land at Kuerle airport at 11:55 a.m. The plane will depart from Kuerle at 12:45 p.m. and return to Chengdu at 03:55 p.m., the report said.

The full-price economy class ticket for this flight is 2,510 yuan (US$388), according to ctrip.com, a major air ticket booking website in China.

Chengdu airport is one of Air China's main hubs and the company operates 61 domestic and international destinations from it. The new route is the carrier's second one to Xinjiang from Chengdu, after the Chengdu-Urumqi route.

Before the launch of this flight, all passengers who wanted to fly from Chengdu to Kuerle had to transfer in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital. It now becomes more convenient for Kuerle residents to travel to the southern and eastern part of the country, since Chengdu can be the best choice to get connecting flights.

Located in the central part of Xinjiang, Kuerle is the second-largest city in the autonomous region, with approximately 480,000 residents.

The city is famous for its fabulous scenic spots such as Bosten Lake, Tarim River and Lop Lake.