Turkish Airlines has added Xi’an, the starting point of the historical Silk Road, to its flight network.

The city, which claims three thousand years of history, becomes the carrier’s fourth destination in mainland China and the 318th destination in the world.

The flights will be operated three times a week with Airbus A330 aircraft.

Having launched flights to China back in 1999, with Beijing, Turkish Airlines reinforced its strong position in Asia with the Xi’an flights.

With this new addition, the global carrier’s flight network has encompassed the entirety of the historical Silk Road that started in Xi’an and ended in Venice.

During the ceremony of the inaugural flight, Turkish Airlines general manager, Bilal Ekşi, stated: “We conclude the year by adding a very special city to our flight network after numerous innovations in various areas and the move to our new home that took place in 2019.

“We will carry our guests to 126 countries from Xi’an, one of the most significant historical capitals, taking the historical Silk Road to above the clouds with our cargo operations.

“Our new flights will also contribute to the tourist numbers coming to our country with the increasing attention from Chinese tourists to the tourism centres of Turkey.”