China Southern Airlines (CSA) announced on Monday that it will launch non-stop direct flights from Beijing to Tehran and double the frequency to four flights per week, starting on March 31.

CSA has been running Beijing-Tehran flights on Wednesday and Saturday, with a stop at Urumqi, which take 10 hours. The new flights will only take eight hours and will also run on Monday and Friday.

The route will be served by Airbus A330-200 aircraft, CSA said.

The flight will leave Beijing at 15:10 and arrive in Tehran at 18:40 local time. The return flight will leave Tehran at 20:20 local time and arrive in Beijing at 7:50 the next morning.

The expansion of trade and tourism and expanded cultural exchanges have increased demand for China-Iran service, the airline said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2008)