SANYA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- A direct air route will begin on Friday night between Sanya, a resort city of south China's Hainan Province and Bangkok, capital of Thailand, according to local authorities.

The airline, operated by China Southern Airlines with an Airbus A320 aircraft, is scheduled one shift a day.

The outbound flight will leave Sanya at 10:45 p.m. Beijing Time and arrive in Bangkok at 0:00 a.m. the following day. The return flight will depart from Bangkok at 1:05 a.m. and reach Sanya at 3:55 a.m. local time.

Sanya Phoenix International Airport has opened six international air routes to Southeast Asian cities, including Singapore, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Pattaya, Jakarta and Bangkok, according to an official with the airport.