Air China Southwest Branch Company announced a new flight route from Chengdu to Osaka, starting March 31. It will be the company's second route from Chengdu to Japan.

There will be three flights every week on the new Chengdu-Dalian-Osaka flight route. Flight CA151, using an A319 aircraft, takes off at 08:25 Beijing time from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. It stops at Dalian and then arrives at Osaka's Kansai Airport at 15:30 local time. The return flight takes off from Osaka at 16:30 local time, arrives Chengdu at 22:15 Beijing time, according to the company.

Previously, the only air route from Chengdu to Japan landed in Tokyo, with a stopover in Beijing, That route was also operated by Air China Southwest Branch Company.

"As the industrial center shifts from coastal cities to the central and western regions, there will be more and more [routes to] Japan, South Korea, Europe and even North America connected to these regions to meet business or tourism requirements," Jun Li, an analyst covering the transportation industry of Shanghai-based Everbright Securities Co., Ltd., told Emerging China.

Li also pointed out that the development of tourism and trade is very critical to the aviation industry for a region.

The aviation industry in Yunnan and Guizhou province, both located in southwestern China, will to some extent benefit from developing tourism, Li added.

Development of the local tourism industry will be driven by the visitors from abroad quite a bit, according to Li.