by Xinhua writers Chen Wenxian, Liu Xue
JERUSALEM, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- An Airbus A330 airplane landed on the Ben-Gurion International Airport of Israel's Tel Aviv on Wednesday after 10-hour non-stop flight from Chengdu, capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The success of the maiden flight means that China's Sichuan Airlines opened its first direct air route linking central and western China and Israel.
This is also the fifth direct air route linking the two countries.
Two direct return flights per week between Chengdu and Tel Aviv will be provided for passengers.
Connecting the vast and important area of western China to Israel will contribute to the friendship between the two countries, Israel's Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said at the opening ceremony of the maiden flight.
The Chinese tourists are becoming a significant part in the overall tourism of Israel, Levin noted.
The direct flight from Chengdu to Tel Aviv opens a window of central and western China for Israel, said Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin at the ceremony.
Zhan said the friendship and cooperation between China and Israel have been deepened in recent years.
Israelis will find business opportunities in Chengdu, an economic, innovation and cultural center in western China, the Chinese ambassador noted.
China has become Israel's third largest trade partner in the world and the largest trade partner in Asia. In the first eight months of 2018, the trade between China and Israel witnessed a year-on-year increase of 16 percent to 9.86 billion U.S. dollars.
Amir Lati, Consul General of Israel in Chengdu, said both countries will enjoy a lot of benefits from the direct flight.
Lati noted both the cooperation between China and Israel has achieved a lot in the sectors of culture, health, tourism and others.
In recent years, direct air routes linking China and Israel have been launched one after another.
In early August, China's Hainan Airlines opened its third China-Israel direct route, which links Guangzhou, capital city of South China's Guangdong Province to Tel Aviv.
As early as in April 2016, Hainan Airlines opened the Beijing-Tel Aviv direct air route. Later in September 2017, it launched the second direct air route, from Shanghai to Tel Aviv.
In March 2017, China's Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific opened the direct route from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv.
The success of Wednesday's maiden flight filled in the blank of direct flights connecting central and western China with Israel, said Li Ming, director of the Sichuan Airlines Group.
It plays a role in building an efficient and convenient air bridge to enhance exchange and cooperation between the two countries, he added.
