URUMQI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A new cargo air route was launched Monday linking Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

The cargo flight, loaded with clothes and electronic devices made in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and the city of Yiwu in east China, left Urumqi for Tashkent at 4:00 p.m. Monday. The returning flight will be filled with agricultural products from Tashkent, according to Ren Fei, general manager of a local aviation service company.

The flight will be operated five to seven times per week, with the frequency adjusted as needed, according to the company.

It used to take about 12 days to transport goods from China to Central Asian countries by train or truck. With the launch of the new air route, the time will be shortened to three hours, Ren said.

Xinjiang has opened four international cargo air routes so far, including Urumqi to Belgium's Liege, Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek, and Almaty in Kazakhstan.

In the first half of this year, around 73,500 tonnes of cargo and mail were transported through the Diwopu International Airport in Urumqi, up 11.98 percent year on year.