CHONGQING -- A new air route linking southwest China's Chongqing municipality with Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City will open in early April, the Chongqing Airlines announced Monday.

The route is the first direct connection between Chongqing and Ho Chi Minh.

The service, scheduled to open on April 2, will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The flight will leave Chongqing at 11:00 pm Beijing time and arrive in Ho Chi Minh at 1:40 am local time the next day. The return flight will depart from Ho Chi Minh at 2:40 am and arrive in Chongqing at 7:15 am.

Chongqing now has 69 international routes. Among them 55 are passenger routes while 14 are cargo air routes.