A British plane painted like a giant panda arrives at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, the first direct flight from London to Chengdu operated by British Airways, Sept 23, 2013. The company will offer three round-trip flights every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, departing from London. Sichuan is the biggest sanctuary to more than 30 percent of giant pandas and the most important site for captive breeding. [Photo/icpress.cn]

CHENGDU - China's third direct air route with London opened on Monday, with a British Airways Boeing 777 landing at the Shuangliu International Airport in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The airline will operate the flight service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, becomes the third city after Beijing and Shanghai in the Chinese mainland to have direct flights to London, England.

The flight will save six to eight hours in transfer time for passengers from China's vast middle and western regions, who used to fly via Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong to travel to London.