CHENGDU, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Sichuan Airlines on Saturday launched a direct flight connecting Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, and Rome.

This is the first regular direct flight between the two cities.

The flight will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by an Airbus A330, with a single trip taking about 11 hours.

The new air service is expected to boost people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Italy is one of the top destinations for Chinese tourists, with 1 million more Chinese expected to visit Italy in 2019 compared to 2018.