Havana, June 20 (RHC)-- Air China has announced it will begin service between Beijing and Havana in September. According to the announcement, leading airline Air China will be operating three weekly flights with a stopover in Montreal, Canada.

An article in this morning's edition of Granma newspaper says the new flight has the potential to turn Havana into a hub for Chinese visitors traveling to other parts of Latin America. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) also said that the service is expected to boost economic ties and promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The two countries will also expand traffic rights and deepen cooperation on civil aviation.

More than 28,000 Chinese travelers visited Cuba in 2014, an increase of more than 27 percent over the previous year.