New passenger flight links China's Chengdu with Italy's Milan

Visitors tour the Chengdu garden of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

CHENGDU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A direct passenger air route connecting Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, to Milan, Italy, was launched on Monday, according to the operator.

A fully loaded A350 flight carrying 279 passengers took off from Chengdu Tianfu International Airport at 1:50 a.m. on Monday and is scheduled to arrive in Milan at 7:30 a.m. (local time).

The service operates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, managed by Air China's southwest branch. The return flight departs Milan at 12:45 p.m. (local time) with a flight duration of nearly 12 hours.

Chengdu has established a major network of intercontinental passenger routes to Europe, North America, Oceania and Africa, covering nearly all key Asian destinations.