URUMQI, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A direct air route between Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Dubai, the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates, opened on Monday night.

The 5,216-km route is the shortest between China with the UAE, about five hours less than departing from Beijing or Shanghai.

The maiden flight took off at 7:50 p.m. and is expected to arrive in Dubai 5.5 hours later. The flight will depart every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from Urumqi, according to the China Southern Airline, the operator of the route.

Urumqi is the fifth Chinese city to open a direct air route with Dubai after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming.

As a bridgehead for China's opening-up to the west, Urumqi currently has 17 international routes linking the city with 13 countries.