URUMQI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin Airlines inaugurated a new air route on Saturday, linking Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with Osaka, Japan.

This newly opened route marks the region's first and only air link to Japan.

The daily service, operated by an Airbus A320, will depart Urumqi at 7:30 a.m. and arrive in Osaka at 4:45 p.m. local time after a stop in north China's Tianjin. The return flight leaves Osaka at 6 p.m. local time and arrives in Urumqi at 1:55 a.m. the next day.

The airlines said that the route not only expands Xinjiang's international aviation network, providing enhanced travel convenience for both leisure and business passengers, but also promotes China-Japan economic cooperation, cultural exchange, and tourism development.  ■