BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China Southern Airlines, the country's largest airline company in terms of fleet size, is scheduled to launch a new international service between northwestern city of Urumqi and Istanbul of Turkey on November 22, the company said Monday.

The service will be carried by wide-body Airbus A330s. The flight will leave Urumqi, capital of the far western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Istanbul is the largest city and port of Turkey. The route will promote the ties between Turkey and Xinjiang, which the authorities strive to make it a regional economic hub in central and western Asia, company officials said.