China's Sichuan Airlines opens direct Chengdu-Istanbul flight

Passengers aboard the direct flight 3U8187 from China's Chengdu to Turkey's Istanbul arrive at the Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, April 30, 2019. The Sichuan Airlines of China on Tuesday morning completed its inaugural direct flight to Istanbul of Turkey from Chengdu in southwestern China. The Istanbul Airport performed a watergate ceremony for the flight, the first time for the airport to do so on a foreign flight, after it landed with 279 passengers aboard. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)