CHANGSHA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- A new air freight route was launched Tuesday linking the central Chinese city of Changsha with Osaka, Japan, said local authorities.

At around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, a Boeing-757 cargo aircraft carrying mainly electronic products took off from Changsha Huanghua International Airport in the capital of Hunan Province.

Operated by SF Airlines, China's leading air cargo carrier, the service could carry as many as 25 tonnes of cargo per flight and is scheduled five times a week from Tuesday to Saturday.

Yang Li, head of the logistics office of the Changsha municipal government, said the launch of the route would give a further boost to the economic opening up of Changsha and promote exchanges in manufacturing between the two sides.

According to Yang, Tuesday's flight also marked the first time that lithium batteries have been transported from Hunan by an international cargo flight.

The route's capability to carry high value-added products such as lithium batteries is a positive sign for the development of Changsha's international air cargo service, said Yang.

Changsha lies at the center of China's transportation network. The city has established 10 international air freight routes so far this year, according to Changsha Huanghua International Airport.