A charter freight flight linking Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and Nuremberg, a city in southern Germany, opened Monday, the first direct freight line linking northwest China with Europe.

The charter flight is operated by the Germany-based Lufthansa Airline, with only one flight each week at present, and then three flights a week since this March.

Before the direct line was opened, goods from the both cities could only be airlifted via Beijing or Shanghai, which increased transport cost.

As an important high-tech district in Germany attracting many multinational companies, Nuremberg sees frequent business exchanges with Shaanxi Province, as well as with the whole China.

The new freight line is expected to further boost economic ties between China and Europe, said local economic experts.