On May 11 at 9:05 am, flight MU6123 took off from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport carrying 154 passengers, marking the official launch of the Qingdao-Kashgar direct route. After a five-hour and 50-minute journey, the flight is scheduled to land at Kashgar Laining International Airport at 2:55 pm on the same day.

Operated by China Eastern Airlines, the route offers four weekly flights (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday). The outbound flight, MU6123, departs from Qingdao at 9:05 am, arriving in Kashgar at 2:55 pm. The return flight, MU6124, leaves Kashgar at 3:55 pm and lands back in Qingdao at 9:00 pm (actual timings subject to airline operations).

"With this direct flight, we can depart from Qingdao in the morning and conduct on-site project inspections in the afternoon, saving nearly 3 hours compared to previous transfer flights," said a passenger from an e-commerce company in the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area in Qingdao.

As Qingdao airport's longest domestic route, the launch not only enhances the airport's route network but also serves as a crucial step in supporting national strategies and promoting regional coordinated development.

By establishing an efficient aerial corridor, it further facilitates the flow of resources between the eastern and western areas, which is expected to foster shared cultural and tourism resources, strengthen industry collaboration, and inject new vitality into the construction of a complementary regional economic layout.

A direct flight route linking Qingdao in East China's Shandong province and Kashgar, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, starts operating on May 11. [Photo/Qingdao News]