Air China resumes flight from Chengdu to Tokyo

CHENGDU, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The air route linking Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, and Japan's Tokyo resumed on Friday morning.

CA459 operated by Air China left for Narita International Airport carrying 139 passengers.

According to Air China, three round trips are scheduled each week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Using an Airbus A320 aircraft, the outbound flight departs at 10:20 a.m. local time, arriving in Tokyo at 3:50 p.m. The return flight leaves the Japanese capital at 5:30 p.m. local time before landing in the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport at 10:50 p.m.

The air route between Chengdu and Tokyo was launched in June 2011 but was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the summer and autumn, the flight frequency will be increased to five round trips a week, said Lu Jiangkuan of Air China.

Chengdu is home to many Japanese enterprises. Figures from the city's commerce bureau showed that between 2019 and 2023, the accumulated imports and exports between Chengdu and Japan reached 176.4 billion yuan (about 24.3 billion U.S. dollars). It is hoped that the resumption of air flights could further facilitate trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges between Chengdu and Tokyo.