Air China, one of the nation's biggest carriers, said on July 1 that it will launch China's first non-stop flight between Beijing and Lhasa, beginning July 10, to promote tourism.

The three-hour-fifty-minute flight will be operated by the Airbus A330. Previously, travelers had to transfer through Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province. The transfer added two hours to the flight.

Flight CA4122 will leave at 7 am every day from the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA), and arrive at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 10:50 am.