Singapore Airlines is to start direct flights between Singapore and Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on 24 April, Xinhua reported. Three round-trip flights will operate on a weekly basis, according to a statement from Wuhan’s foreign affairs office.

In a separate development, China Daily reported that the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu is to hold an air route development forum in April at which major American airlines will be invited to discuss the opening of passenger and cargo routes between Chengdu and the US.

Chen Zhongwei, director of the Chengdu logistics office, said that the city was encouraging UPS and FedEx to their Asia-Pacific hubs in Chengdu.

There are currently 24 international direct passenger and cargo routes in Chengdu. By 2015, it is expected to have about 40 international direct scheduled air routes.