YINCHUAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A direct air route has been opened from Krabi, Thailand to Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The first flight from Krabi landed at Yinchuan Hedong International Airport on Friday.

The air route is operated by Thailand's Newgen Airways. It will operate weekly every Friday, the airport said.

Krabi International Airport is located in the southern part of Thailand. Krabi and the island of Phuket are popular tourist destinations for Chinese.