Shenzhen - Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport on Monday launched a direct passenger route to Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, the first non-stop passenger service from the southern Chinese city to Central Asia.

The airport said the route, operated by Uzbekistan Airways, marks its first new international route launched this year.

The service will run once a week on Mondays. Flights from Tashkent depart at 1:20 local time and arrive in Shenzhen at 7:40 Beijing time, while outbound flights leave Shenzhen at 9:10 Beijing time and land in Tashkent at 16:20 local time.

The new direct flight route comes as China and Uzbekistan deepen cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, with closer exchanges in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure and people-to-people ties.

Airport authorities said the route would facilitate cross-border travel and business links, while offering Shenzhen firms a more direct gateway to the Central Asian market.

With the launch of the Tashkent service, Shenzhen airport now has links to 42 cities in 23 Belt and Road partner countries, according to the airport.