CHENGDU - Air China on Wednesday launched a new regular flight between the southwestern city of Chengdu and the Indian city of Mumbai, marking the first direct air route between the Chinese mainland and the Indian economic center.

The flight will take off every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday using an Airbus A319 aircraft, a spokesman from Air China's southwest branch said.

The flight takes about five hours, the spokesman said.

It is the second direct air route Air China has launched between Chengdu and India. The carrier opened a Chengdu-Bangalore flight in February 2010, he said.

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province. It is a political, economic and cultural center in western China.