Direct flights between Armenia and China were launched Wednesday on the Urumqi-Yerevan-Urumqi route. The ceremony of welcoming the respective plane arriving from China took place at Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport.
Speaking with reporters, Gnel Sanosyan, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, called this flight "historic," stating that direct air communication between China and Armenia was being established for the first time. According to him, this is the result of a consistent policy.
"This route is in great demand, and it will make life easier and save a lot of time for people who are going to fly from Armenia to China or vice versa," Sanosyan said.
In turn, Chen Ming, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in Armenia, called this event a new chapter in friendly relations between the two countries. He noted that direct flights will encourage even more people from Armenia to fly to China and vice versa.
"Direct flights create an air bridge and connect two continents. This creates opportunities for mutual visits and preconditions for the development of relations in economy, culture, and tourism. Armenia is an important partner of China, an active participant of the One Belt One Road project in Transcaucasia, and one of the first countries to join the project," the Chinese diplomat added.
And Ye Daan, Deputy General Manager of the Xinjiang Branch of China Southern Airlines, expressed confidence that these direct flights will help strengthen trade and economic ties between Armenia and China.
"Residents of both countries will be able to travel from one country to another in just five hours. We hope that the business representatives of the two countries will actively participate in the expansion of the markets," Ye added.
In the first six months of this year, about 11,500 Chinese tourists visited Armenia, which is 110 percent more compared to the same period last year. In recent years, two countries have liberalized their visa regime.
The representatives of the tourism companies of the two countries have expressed their belief that there are all conditions for the strengthening of tourism ties between Armenia and China.
Armenia-China direct flights launched
Bütün xəbərləri reklamsız oxumaq üçün
Günlük ölkədə baş verən xəbərləri bizdən izlə.
