ZHENGZHOU, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The first direct air route linking central China's Zhengzhou City, capital of Henan Province, with Sydney opened Monday.

The flight from Zhengzhou to Sydney, operated by Tianjin Airlines, takes 11 hours and will operate every Monday and Friday. The return flight will operate every Tuesday and Saturday.

The passenger throughput of Zhengzhou airport in 2017 was 24.3 million, up 17 percent year on year.