The new airbus is more spacy and quiet. (Photo source: feeeco.com)

The A330-200 wide-body airbus of the Southwest Branch of Air China made its maiden flight to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, on June 11th.

The new airliner will be the main force running the company's business between Lhasa and Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan province. The upgrade will make passengers' trip more comfortable.

Compared with older types of airliners, the new airbus is more spacy and quiet. The plane also has screens on the back of each seat to broadcast images of the ground below, captured by two cameras with wide-angled lenses, installed beneath the body of the aircraft.

According to the Southwest Branch of Air China, two more A330-200s will join their air fleet on July 6th.

The company will run 8 flights back and forth between Chengdu and Lhasa each day during peak-season.

The ticket price on the new airliner will be around 1500 to 2300 yuan.

(en.chinabroadcast.cn June 13, 2006)