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- 15.05.2023 13:27:00
- 2 min read
On Saturday, May 13, the first passenger route was officially opened between Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province in northwest China, and Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.
On the Xi'an-Urumqi-Ashgabat route, flight CZ5085 will depart Xi'an at 17:30 Beijing time (09:30 GMT) every Saturday and arrive in Ashgabat at 23:10 local time (18:10 GMT). On the way back, flight CZ5086 will depart Ashgabat at 00:40 local time (19:40 GMT) the next day and arrive in Xi'an at 12:30 Beijing time (04:30 GMT), Xinhua news agency reported.
The opening of flights between Xi'an and Central Asian cities is of great importance as they will facilitate economic and cultural exchanges between China and the region.
The Belt and Road Initiative has promoted exchanges between China and Central Asian countries, said Xiong Jie, party secretary of the Northwest Regional Office of China's Civil Aviation Administration.
He added that as the Air Silk Road continues to take shape, it will open up more opportunities for cooperation between the two sides in the fields of culture, business and tourism.
The new route, along with a flight between Xi'an and the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, to be launched on May 18, marks the complete connection of passenger air travel from Xi'an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, to the five countries of Central Asia.
source: Orient news
