HANGZHOU, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural direct passenger air route connecting Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was launched on Sunday, according to sources with the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

Operated by Uzbekistan Airways, the round-trip flights run every Sunday, departing Tashkent at 12:40 p.m. local time and arriving in Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, at 10 p.m. Beijing Time.

The return flight leaves Hangzhou at 11:30 p.m. Beijing Time and lands in Tashkent at 4:10 a.m. local time the next day.

With this new service, the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport now offers 36 outbound flights, spanning 21 countries across four continents.

Since the beginning of 2024, the airport has added or resumed 10 international passenger routes to cities including Sapporo, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh City, Chiang Mai and Melbourne.