BEIJING, Sept. 20 -- China Southern Airlines, the country's largest airline by fleet size, is to launch flights from Lanzhou to Dubai via Urumqi on Sept. 29, Xinhua learned on Saturday.

The new route will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft to make four flights each week in both directions on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the carrier said.

It will be the first international flight by the airline from Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu Province.

Currently, passengers traveling between northwestern China and the Gulf need to make a detour through eastern Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The new Lanzhou-Urumqi-Dubai flights will cut the journey time by half.

The carrier said the journey time between Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Dubai will be about five hours, the shortest air route from China to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Demand for air services between China and the UAE cities is rising fast thanks to growing trade and cultural links between China and Gulf countries.

Direct flights are already in service between Dubai and Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming and Shanghai.

China Southern Airlines plans Lanzhou-Urumqi-Tbilisi flights on Sept. 30.

The new route to and from the Georgian capital city will use Boeing 737 aircraft to make two flights each week in both directions on Tuesdays and Saturdays.