HAIKOU, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A new direct air route linking Haikou, the capital city of China's southernmost island province of Hainan, and Jakarta in Indonesia was launched on Friday.

With the current Hangzhou-Haikou-Jakarta route, the number of flights from Haikou to Jakarta has been increased to eight a week.

The new route is operated by Hainan Airlines, using a Boeing 737 aircraft, and offers round-trip flights every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Outbound flights take off from Haikou at 2:50 p.m. Beijing time and arrive at Jakarta at 6:10 p.m. local time. Return flights depart from Jakarta at 7:15 p.m. local time and land in Haikou at 12:35 a.m. Beijing time the next day.

The route will not only bring more convenience to passengers planning to travel outbound during the upcoming National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, but also provide more support for business exchanges, industrial cooperation, and tourism consumption between Hainan Free Trade Port and Southeast Asian countries. ■