China’s Xi’an Opens Air Routes to All Central Asian Countries

Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, opened an air route to Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, on May 18.

It marked the 16th international passenger flight route currently in service in Xi’an. Today, a total of 11 flights flying each week between Xi’an and Central Asian destinations.

At present, Xi’an becomes the only Chinese city that has opened air routes to all the five Central Asian countries.

According to Zhang Xuan, general manager of the marketing department of the Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, the airport will resume and open 30 air routes in each of the next three years to destinations including Central Asia, West Asia, and even Central and Eastern Europe, to facilitate the tourism, business and trade exchanges.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). From camel caravans in ancient times to express trains and international flights, the transport evolution has significantly shortened the distance between Xi’an and Central Asia.

As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, Xi’an has intensively integrated itself into Belt and Road construction over the past decade. It has witnessed how the BRI has transitioned from high-level plans to intensive and meticulous implementation under the joint efforts of participating countries and regions.

The China-Central Asia Summit, the first major diplomatic activity that China hosts this year, kicked off in Xi’an as scheduled. It is the first summit held offline by the heads of state of the six countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties 31 years ago, and a historic milestone in the development of relations between China and Central Asian countries.