China Southern Airlines, one of the country's three major airlines, has recently signed a codeshare agreement with Air Serbia to enhance air connectivity between China and the European nation.

According to a statement released by China Southern Airlines on Thursday, the two airlines will engage in codeshare cooperation on trunk routes between China and Serbia, as well as other markets.

The collaboration will provide passengers with more flight options and access to a broader range of destinations, it said.

Under the agreement, the two airlines will implement free-sale codesharing on the Guangzhou-Belgrade and Shanghai Pudong-Belgrade trunk routes.

And the cooperation will also extend to Air Serbia's European route network beyond Belgrade, enabling China Southern passengers to seamlessly connect to 21 European destinations, including Berlin, Milan, Zurich, and Bologna, said the statement.

Meanwhile, Air Serbia passengers will benefit from an expanded route network offered by China Southern Airlines, including access to seven domestic destinations in China, such as Shanghai, Dalian, Harbin and Chongqing, as well as 13 international destinations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, the statement said.

Last September, Guangzhou-based China Southern successfully launched direct air services between Guangzhou and Belgrade, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Air Serbia to deepen their partnership.

The signing of this codeshare agreement is one of the key steps in implementing the guidelines outlined in the MoU, said the statement.

The two airlines promised to continue to deepen their cooperation under the framework of the MoU, jointly promoting the growth and prosperity of the aviation markets in both countries to facilitate the development of the Air Silk Road between China and Serbia in the following months, it said.