ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 21 -- A direct flight from the city of Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province to Luxembourg took off on Thursday afternoon, marking the opening of the first direct air route for passengers between Luxembourg and China.

In the initial phase, the air route will operate one round-trip flight per week. Outbound flights will depart from Zhengzhou at 2:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Thursdays, arriving in Luxembourg at 7 p.m. (local time). Return flights will depart from Luxembourg at 3 p.m. (local time) on Fridays, reaching Zhengzhou at 8:10 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Saturdays.

The first flight carried 146 passengers. In comparison to the indirect flight, the new air route saves passengers several hours in travel time.