(Photo/Enshi.cn)

China's Enshi, a county-level city of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in central Hubei province, launched its first direct flight connecting the city with Cambodia's Siem Reap on Oct. 20, www.Chinanews.com reported.

The maiden flight, operated by the A320 aircraft of Cambodia's Lanmei Airlines, took off at 12:10 p.m. from Enshi Xujiaping Airport, bringing 179 passengers to Cambodia.

With a total of 180 seats, the flight will operate three times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with a flight time of two hours and forty minutes.

"It used to take me a long time to take a group of tourists to Cambodia as we had to transfer via other cities. The new direct flight makes it more convenient for tourists," said Yang Cheng, an Enshi-based tour guide.

The flight route between Enshi and Siem Reap, the first international route opened in the prefecture, enables Enshi to connect with the outside world and facilitates cultural and tourism exchanges between the two places, said an airport manager.