CHANGSHA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A new air route will be launched between the city of Changsha in central China's Hunan Province and Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on April 16.

The route will use an Airbus A320 aircraft and be operated by Royal Brunei Airlines.

One round trip flight is scheduled from April 16 to June 28. The outbound flight leaves Changsha at 00:30 a.m. Beijing time and arrives in Bandar Seri Begawan at 4:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The return flight departs Bandar Seri Begawan at 7:40 p.m. local time and arrives in Changsha at 11:30 p.m. Beijing time on Tuesday. Another round trip flight will be added from June 29.

With the opening of the new route, Changsha will have direct flights to 27 cities in all ASEAN countries. The flights will serve as a bridge for cooperation between central China and ASEAN countries in trade and investment, cultural exchanges, tourism and other fields.