CHENGDU - Direct cargo flights were launched on Tuesday between the capital of the southwestern Sichuan province and France. This is the first cargo air route between a western Chinese province and France.

Three cargo flights will operate each week between the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and Paris Vatry Airport, in northeastern France. This will facilitate the entrance of French wines and luxury goods into China's rising western market, said Wang Shijie, representative for the French airport's business in China.

Flights between the two airports will take nine hours each way, which also means faster trips for Chengdu-manufactured electronic products exported to Europe, local officials said.

Chengdu has been building a regional aviation hub to profit from the westward movement of industries from China's coastal regions, where labor and land costs have been rising in recent years.

Officials say the city is working to launch direct passenger and cargo flights to more countries, including the United States and Australia.