New direct flights connect Tbilisi and Beijing from today

For the first time ever, new flights are connecting the capital cities of Georgia and China.

The inaugural flight between Beijing and Tbilisi is set to touch down at Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International Airport this evening.

Operated by China Southern Airlines, the flights will be regular, will stimulate bilateral tourism ties and increase the number of visitors between Georgia and China, said Georgia’s Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA).

The flights will be performed between Beijing-Urumqi-Tbilisi two times per week – on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Urumqi is a city with more than three million people in northwest China and is a common transit stop for airlines.

The first plane coming from Beijing is expected to land at Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International Airport at 9:45pm.

The new flights were announced by the airline in June after officials from GCAA met Chinese air travel authorities.

Georgia is becoming more and more attractive for Chinese airlines,” said GCAA.

China Southern Airlines has been operating in Georgia since 2011 when it launched flights on the Urumqi-Tbilisi route.

Growing demand to reach the Georgian capital encouraged the airline to add a new route and start flights between Tbilisi and Beijing.

Meanwhile, in the first eight months of 2016 China Southern Airlines carried 10,123 passengers from Urmuqi to Tbilisi, GCAA told Agenda.ge.