Flight HU765 departed from Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou City, south China's Hainan Province, marking the launch of a new air route linking the Chinese city with Moscow, Russia.

Operated by Hainan Airlines, the new air route is served every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

The outbound flight will depart from Haikou at 2:30 a.m. and arrive at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport at 7:40 a.m. (local time). The return flight is scheduled to leave Moscow at 2:25 p.m. (local time) and land in Haikou at 5 a.m. the following day (Beijing time), said the route's operator. In recent years, Hainan has ramped up efforts to resume and launch international air routes. As of May this year, the province had 46 overseas passenger routes in operation, with the number expected to reach 62 by the end of this year.

Xinhua