Tibet Airlines, a regional subsidiary of Air China, on Sunday launched its first international route linking southwest China's Chengdu with Samui Island, Thailand.

The inaugural flight TV9897, operated by an Airbus A319, took off from Lhasa Gongga International Airport at 1:13 p.m. and landed in Samui Island at 3:32 p.m.

The Chengdu-Samui Island service will be operated thrice weekly on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The whole journey takes only three and a half hours.

Although Chengdu has nine flights daily to Thailand, offering 11,000 seats a week, Tibet Airlines is the first to provide nonstop connections to the resort island of Samui.

Tibet Airlines, launched in 2011, operates passenger and cargo services from Lhasa Gonggar Airport, one of the world's highest airports at an altitude of 12,000 ft. Currently, it owns a fleet of 14 Airbus A319s, two A320s and one A330-200 aircraft.