Havana, August 4 (RHC-Xinhua)-- China's flagship airline, Air China, opened on Thursday a commercial office in Cuba to boost tourism cooperation between the two nations and between the Asian nation and other Caribbean states.

In a ceremony chaired by China's ambassador to Cuba Chen Xi and Air China's general manager in Cuba Zhang Xin, the office opened to facilitate travel between the Cuban capital and Beijing via direct flights, which has been operating since the end of 2015.

According to the airlines' general manager, the Air China brand has been increasingly popular in Cuba and other Caribbean countries and the new office will contribute to improvements in services to all costumers. Since the inaugural flight of Air China to Cuba, about 24,000 travelers of different nationalities have chosen the airline.

Ambassador Chen said the opening of the office, together with the existing regular flights, will strengthen bilateral cooperation in the tourism and air transport sectors.

According to the diplomat, Sino-Cuban relations are at their best after more than half a century of ties and this direct link will help promote the visit of Chinese tourists to the Caribbean state. 

With a duration of almost 20 hours flight-time and a technical stopover in Montreal, Canada, Air China's flight to Cuba is the only direct link between China and the Caribbean region.