Ground crew work on a Sichuan Airlines plane at Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sept. 26, 2018. Sichuan Airlines on Wednesday launched the first direct flight to Israel from southwest China in a bid to meet rising passenger demand. The flight links Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, with Tel Aviv, Israel's second-largest city, with a one-way flight taking about 10 hours. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)