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A plane of Swiss Internantional Airlines is seen at Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, on Feb. 12, 2012. Swiss International Airlines on Sunday opened the daily direct flight from Zurich of Switzerland to Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) on Sunday launched a direct flight route between Beijing and Zurich, which is expected to further promote business and travel ties between China and Switzerland.

It was the company's third non-stop flight route with China after Hong Kong-Zurich and Shanghai-Zurich routes.

"The route marks a new milestone in the development of our company and our network," said Harry Hohmeister, chief executive of SWISS.

The route's first flight, operated with the Airbus A340-300 aircraft, departed from the Beijing Capital International Airport at 6:45 a.m. on Sunday. The flight between the two countries takes around 10 hours, and will be available daily starting May 31.

"These non-stop services should be attractive to both business and leisure travelers from the two countries," Hohmeister said.

Switzerland has become a popular destination among Chinese travelers. China has replaced Japan as Switzerland's largest tourist market in Asia, with 680,000 tourist overnight stays in 2011.

Urs Eberhard, executive vice president of Markets & Meetings at Switzerland Tourism, said the route will help increase overnight stays of Chinese tourists by 7 percent to 10 percent.