Direct air route to open linking Helsinki, China's Sichuan

China's Sichuan Airlines will launch a direct air route linking Helsinki and Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province on Sept. 16.

The route is scheduled to depart Chengdu at 2:00 a.m. Beijing time every Monday and Friday and arrive in Helsinki at 6:00 a.m. local time. The flight time is about nine hours.

Helsinki is known as one of the most livable cities in the world. China and Finland launched a project to promote tourism and strengthen cooperation in sports in January and will hold more than 40 events jointly this year.