People walk at the departure hall of Terminal 5 of Xianyang International Airport in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

A new air route connecting Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia officially opened on Sunday.

At about 8:40 a.m., an Airbus A320 aircraft departed from the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. China Eastern Airlines operates the daily round trip flight. During its outbound journey, it stops in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 11:15 a.m. before arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 4:50 p.m. local time.

The return flight leaves Kuala Lumpur at 5:50 p.m. local time, stops in Kumming four hours later, and lands in Xi'an at 1:35 a.m. the next day.

Founded over 3,100 years ago, Xi'an is home to the famous Terracotta Warriors and numerous other historic sites. It was the capital of 13 dynasties in China. The new air route offers more convenient choices for tourists to Kuala Lumpur, Shaanxi, and picturesque Yunnan and serves as a bridge for economic and cultural exchanges.

This is also the first international air route opened after Terminal 5 of the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport went into operation last Thursday.

Since November 2023, China has continuously adjusted and optimized its visa-free transit policy to boost openness and people-to-people exchanges. Last year, over 20.1 million foreign visitors entered China under the visa exemption policy, marking a year-on-year increase of 113.5 percent in eligible transit visa-exemption travelers.