A new direct flight was launched on Wednesday evening between the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar and north China’s Tianjin Municipality, according to Aero Mongolia airline.

The airline will fly the route three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

It will shorten the travel time between the two cities to two hours and 20 minutes.

The first flight took off at 10:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) from Mongolia’s Chinggis Khaan International Airport.

The new direct flight is expected to boost tourism and cultural exchanges between the two cities.

China is the largest source of foreign tourists to Mongolia. Chinese tourists accounted for 36.4 percent of total foreign tourist arrivals in Mongolia in the first half of this year, according to the Mongolian National Statistical Office.