A view of China Southern Airlines flight CZ6051, which carried 173 passengers from Beijing to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan Photo: Courtesy of China Southern Airlines

On Monday, China and Tajikistan launched their first direct flight route linking the two countries' capital cities, the airline's operator China Southern Airlines told the Global Times in a statement on Monday, which marked a further step in enhancing China-Central Asia connectivity.

The encouraging milestone was marked by the successful maiden voyage of China Southern Airlines flight CZ6051, which carried 173 passengers from Beijing to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. 

The inaugural flight was operated by a Boeing 787, while subsequent services will use Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The journey takes approximately six hours, with two scheduled flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, according to the operator. Passengers travel between Dushanbe and cities such as Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province, Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province, Changsha in Central China's Hunan Province, and Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province.

Those traveling to and from cities like Shanghai and Hefei can connect seamlessly within five hours.

The new route provides a more convenient air connection between China and Tajikistan, significantly reducing travel time, improving connectivity, and further facilitating people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation between the two countries, the company said.

The China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism continues to improve, which have entered a new phase of high-quality development.

Notable achievements have been made in infrastructure, economic and trade cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, positioning Central Asia as a model region for high-quality BRI cooperation, Guangming Daily reported, highlighting the friendly ties between China and Central Asian countries.

On June 1, a flight carrying over 160 passengers from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, landed at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport in northwest China's Xinjiang Ugyur Autonomous Region. The arrival marked the first group of tourists under the mutual visa exemption agreement between China and Uzbekistan, with the inaugural group of Uzbek travelers entering China under the new policy, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The expanding economic and trade exchanges highlight the strengthening connectivity and deepening friendly cooperation between China and Central Asia. 

In the first five months of this year, China's trade with the five Central Asian countries reached 286.42 billion yuan ($39.5 billion), up 10.4 percent year-on-year and hitting a record high for the period, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Sunday.