A direct passenger flight route between Shenzhen and Doha, the capital of Qatar, will be launched Tuesday as part of Shenzhen Airlines’ new winter-spring flight season, which begins Sunday. Doha, a Middle Eastern aviation hub, plays a pivotal role in connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa.

The outbound flight is scheduled to depart from Shenzhen at 1 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and arrive at the Hamad International Airport at 6 a.m. local time. The return flight will leave Doha at 7:15 p.m. and arrive in Shenzhen at 8:45 a.m. the next day.

According to the airline, the new route is expected to support the global expansion of businesses based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Shenzhen Airlines will add 15 domestic routes during the winter-spring flight season this year, including a Shenzhen-Xishuangbanna route, and increase flight frequency on 13 routes, including the Shenzhen-Zhengzhou route.

The airline will also add flights to its Shenzhen-Osaka route and resume the Nantong-Osaka route. In total, the airline will operate 32 international routes linking six Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Guangzhou, with 18 international destinations, including Doha, London, Barcelona, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo.