GUIYANG, March 3 -- A direct air route between Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, and Tokyo, capital of Japan, is expected to be launched in May, according to China Southern Airlines on Tuesday.

There will be flights every Tuesday and Friday, according to the airline.

An air route between Guiyang and Osaka, Japan's second largest city, will also launch in May.

The airline plans to launch an air route between Guiyang and the Republic of Korea by the end of this year.

Guizhou, a mountainous and less developed province in southwest China, currently has international routes with Bangkok and Phuket of Thailand.