Direct flights linking Shanghai and Shymkent, Kazakhstan, will be launched on May 29, marking the first direct flight between Shanghai and Central Asia, announced the Shanghai Airport (Group) Co Ltd on Thursday.

The Shanghai-Shymkent flight is expected to further enrich Shanghai's international aviation network amid the city's efforts to become an international aviation hub, as well as create a more convenient air channel for the exchanges and collaboration of economy, trade, tourism, and culture between China and Kazakhstan.

Operated by Kazakhstan's Scat Airlines, the Shanghai-Shymkent flight will run every Tuesday and Friday from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and backward from Shymkent on Mondays and Thursdays (local time).

Tickets are currently available for purchase from Scat Airlines.

The new route is a latest development of the aviation network constructed by Shanghai Airport (Group) that connects 291 destinations in 48 countries worldwide. Since last year, the group has been actively restoring and expanding its international aviation network to offer more diversified air traveling options.