Air China is introducing a direct route from Chengdu, the gastronomic capital of Sichuan Province, to Almaty. The new service will begin operating in December, Xinhua reports.

Flights will run twice a week — on Tuesdays and Saturdays — using the modern Airbus A320neo.

The flight to Almaty will take just 3.5 hours, saving at least seven hours compared to connecting routes. The return flight will take about five hours.