Air China launched direct flights between Beijing and Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, on Tuesday.

Flights will leave Beijing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon.

There has been growing demand for flights between the two countries. China is Sri Lanka's second largest trading partner and the number of Chinese visitors to the country has seen rapid growth. In the first five months of the year, 12, 000 Chinese visited Sri Lanka, up 71.9 percent.

(Xinhua)