With direct flight, Tibet lands tourist boost

BEIJING - A new non-stop flight between Beijing and Lhasa, which is expected to boost tourism in the Tibet autonomous region, went into operation on Thursday.

Previously, services between the capital and the southwestern region had to stop for refueling in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Yet, Air China's new flight takes passengers direct on Airbus 319 planes, shaving two hours off the travel time.