XI'AN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- With a direct flight service launched Sunday, people in the hometown of the Terracotta Warriors will now find it more convenient to enjoy the turquoise ocean and white-sand beaches in the Maldives, an island nation popular for tourism.

The Airbus A321 aircraft, run by Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives, can carry up to 185 passengers and is scheduled to fly each Sunday from Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to Male in the Maldives. The return flight will run each Friday.

The air route is jointly operated by Shaanxi Feijing Network Technology and the operating base of Maldivian in Xixian New Area in the province.

The Maldives has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Over 1.4 million tourists arrived in the Maldives in 2018, with the highest numbers of tourist arrivals from China and Germany.