(ECNS) -- China Southern Airlines launched a new round-trip service Thursday linking Urumqi, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with Seoul via Yantai, in east China’s Shandong Province.

The one-stop route adds a new travel option between Xinjiang and South Korea.

(Photo: xj.chinanews.com.cn)

The inaugural CZ6099 flight departed Urumqi, stopped in Yantai and continued to Seoul. The service uses flight numbers CZ6099 and CZ6100 and operates every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The route is expected to meet growing demand for tourism and business travel between Xinjiang and South Korea, including visits to Xinjiang by South Korean tourists and trips to South Korea by Xinjiang residents.

With the new route added, flights between Yantai and Seoul now average more than six a day, expanding travel options for passengers in Shandong.