Direct flights launched between China's Xi'an and Kazakhstan's Astana

STORY: Direct flights launched between China's Xi'an and Kazakhstan's Astana DATELINE: April 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:12 LOCATION: XI'AN, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of airplane 2. various of the airport 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): KYRAUBAYEV ZHOSHYKHAN, Consul General of Kazakhstan in Xi'an 4. various of the opening ceremony of the new route 5. various of the airport STORYLINE: The first flight on a new route from Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, took off on Friday. It is the fourth direct passenger route launched between Xi'an and Central Asia this year, following routes to Almaty, Bishkek and Tashkent. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): KYRAUBAYEV ZHOSHYKHAN, Consul General of Kazakhstan in Xi'an "I think the opening of direct flights is of great significance to promoting exchanges between Kazakhstan and Chinese citizens. Kazakhstan has a 14-day visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, and now our two countries are ready to promote the signing of a 30-d