On 24 January, a flight from Dili, East Timor, carrying 67 passengers, landed at Changle International Airport in Fuzhou, Fujian Province (southeast China), officially inaugurating the second direct passenger air route between China and East Timor.

The route is operated by Aero Dili of Timor-Leste, with a fortnightly frequency. The flight from Fuzhou to Dili is scheduled to depart in the evening and arrive the following day.

Dili is the capital of Timor-Leste and the largest city in the country. According to Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Timor-Leste's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, there are a large number of people from Fujian working and living in Timor-Leste. The opening of the ‘Fuzhou-Dili’ route has changed the previous situation, which required a stopover in a third place for travel between the two locations, reducing travel time from more than 24 hours to just 6 hours.

The first direct passenger route between China and Timor-Leste was inaugurated in Xiamen, Fujian Province, on 14 February 2025.

(Source: People's Daily, on 27 January)