CHONGQING -- A direct air route between Chongqing in Southwest China, and Cebu, the Philippines, has been launched.

Sichuan Airlines will ply the route with an Airbus A321. The four-hour flight will depart Chongqing every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, the airlines said.

The new route is expected to promote the Philippines as a vacation destination to Chinese tourists, and will make travel between the two cities much more convenient.