A passenger flight carrying 89 travelers from Udon Thani, Thailand, arrived at Yiwu Airport on April 16, marking the launch of Zhejiang province's first direct international passenger route to the Thai city.

Operated by VietJet Air, the route began regular service in April and is expected to provide a more convenient air link for trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges between Zhejiang and Thailand.

Thailand, a founding member of ASEAN, has close economic ties with Zhejiang. Customs data showed that Zhejiang's total trade with Thailand reached 25.28 billion yuan ($3.70 billion) in the first two months of this year, up 32.4 percent year-on-year.

Udon Thani is an important cargo distribution hub in northeastern Thailand, while Yiwu is known as a global center for small commodities. In the first two months of the year, Yiwu's trade with Thailand reached 4.9 billion yuan, up 73.4 percent year-on-year.

The new route is expected to further boost business ties between Yiwu and Thailand while making travel between the two places more convenient. Passengers will also be able to transfer via Udon Thani to cities including Bangkok and Chiang Mai.