Staff members of the first flight connecting Yiwu and Vladivostok pose for a group photo in Yiwu, Zhejiang province on Jan 13. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

Yiwu International Airport launched a new direct flight between Yiwu, a major small commodity hub in eastern China, and Vladivostok, a transportation hub in Russia's Far East region.

The Yiwu-Vladivostok air route is operated by 9Air, a low-budget airline based in Guangdong province, and offers three round-trip flights per week.

On Monday, the flight departs from Yiwu at 10:10 am Beijing time and arrives in Vladivostok at 3:50 pm local time, while the return flight departs from Vladivostok at 5:00 pm local time and arrives in Yiwu at 7:00 pm Beijing time.

On Thursday and Saturday, the flight departs from Yiwu at 11:40 am Beijing time and arrives in Vladivostok at 5:25 pm local time, while the return flight departs from Vladivostok at 6:25 pm local time and arrives in Yiwu at 8:25 pm Beijing time.

The flight, which is Yiwu's sixth international and regional direct air route, will facilitate trade, tourism and cultural exchange and cooperation between Yiwu and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Additionally, residents of Yiwu now have a new travel destination for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.