China Southern Airlines began offering direct flights on Thursday from Beijing to Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, to meet rising air travel demand and further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.Flights to Tashkent, the largest city in Central Asia, depart Beijing at 4:20 p.m. and arrive at 7:35 p.m. Return flights from Tashkent leave at 8:55 p.m.  and arrive in Beijing at 5:50 a.m. Flights are scheduled every Thursday and Sunday.An Airbus 330-200 plane will be used for the flights.The airline provides passengers with 100 classic movies and 1,000 songs to entertain them during the long flight. It also serves a variety of halal food.An executive with the company said the launch of the route would facilitate personal exchanges and trade relations between China and Central Asia.