Guests visit an Airbus 320 series full-motion simulator in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 21, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

NANNING — The China-ASEAN Civil Aviation Cooperation and Exchange Center was officially launched at a recent forum on industry cooperation in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

According to Pan Yixin, executive vice-chairman of the China Air Transport Association (CATA), the center aims to strengthen the connectivity of the air route network linking China and ASEAN and promote the coordinated development of aviation-oriented cultural tourism.

The center was jointly initiated by 15 organizations, including the CATA, China Southern Airlines

READ MORE: China's civil aviation industry continues to grow

It will also build platforms for China-ASEAN civil aviation cooperation, hold aviation technology and equipment exhibitions, and develop demonstration areas for civil aviation capacity building, Pan said.

The center was jointly initiated by 15 organizations, including the CATA, China Southern Airlines, and Singapore Changi Airport.

READ MORE: China's civil aviation passenger transport scale reaches new levels

Since China and ASEAN formally established dialogue relations, the annual passenger traffic volume of China-ASEAN civil aviation has jumped from 295,000 to 26.58 million, a roughly 90-fold increase.