SHENZHEN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- A direct passenger air route linking the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, was launched on Monday. This marks the fifth direct passenger air route from Shenzhen to the Middle East.

The flight carried more than 200 passengers mainly for business, service and travel, with a load factor of over 80 percent.

Operated by China Southern Airlines, the air service runs twice a week using an Airbus A330 aircraft every Monday and Friday, with a flight time of about nine hours and 30 minutes.

Apart from Riyadh, Shenzhen has also opened direct passenger flights to Cairo, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Tehran in the Middle East. Following the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Saudi Arabia are fostering closer exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economics, trade, culture and tourism.