BEIJING--South African Airways (SAA), the largest airline by turnover in Africa, launched its first non-stop route between Beijing and Johannesburg on Wednesday, which is also the first direct route between the Chinese mainland and South Africa.

The first flight arrived at Beijing at 20:50 on Tuesday after 15 hours in the air. SAA will operate the route three times a week and is served by A340 aircraft with 42 line-flat seats in business class and 275 seats for economy class.

"We insist to offer flights with very competitive prices and this route will not be an exception," said Siza Mzimela, CEO of SAA.

With the entire flight time reduced by at least five hours compared to stopover flights, the direct route is expected to have a positive influence on tourism and trade between China and South Africa, analysts said.

China has become South Africa's largest trading partner for many consecutive years.

From January to September, 2011, nearly 60,000 Chinese people went to South Africa for tourism or business.