An Airbus 320 plane made a stopover at Pudong Airport in Shanghai on Sunday before heading for Kitakyushu City, Japan, for the first time.

The flight started from Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province and was opened by Southern China Airlines. The plane will make return flights three times a week.

As the largest port city and a water transportation hub in Japan, Kitakyushu is an important trade port between China and Japan. The new air route is expected to boost business and cultural ties between Japan and China's southern and eastern regions.

Southern China Airlines said that the route to Kitakyushu is the company's 21st route to Japan. It also planned to increase flights linking Shanghai and Tokyo soon to cater to market demand.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2006)