Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

AIR China will launch an intercontinental flight from Shenzhen to Los Angeles, the United States, on Dec. 7, according to a news conference yesterday.

The flight, employing a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, will operate three times a week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. The route is Air China’s first direct route from Shenzhen to North America. It has been rescheduled and updated from the original route, which Air China had opened Feb. 1 with a stopover in Beijing.

The flight leaves Shenzhen at 11:30 p.m. and arrives in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. (local time). The return flight leaves Los Angeles at 10:50 p.m. and arrives in Shenzhen at 5:40 a.m. the following day. A single trip takes about 12.5 hours.

For the first three flights departing from Shenzhen, Air China is offering a low fare of 3,200 yuan (US$482 taxes and fees included) for a round trip in the economy class. The company is also offering a package of two economy-class round-trip tickets for 5,000 yuan (taxes and fees not included), with the same package in business-class priced at 30,000 yuan (taxes and fees not included).

“The opening of the flight will provide new opportunities and channels for cooperation between the United States and China in the culture, business, education, travel and science sectors. It will serve as an aerial bridge for business exchanges and tourists between the two cities,” Wang Aiwu, assistant president of Air China, said at the news briefing yesterday.

Los Angeles plays a vital role in Sino-U.S. exchanges. In 2016, bilateral trade between China and the United States reached US$500 billion, and one-third of the trade volume went through the Los Angeles customs tariff area. China has become the most popular destination for U.S. tourists in the Asian-Pacific region. Los Angeles was the first city in the United States to receive more than 1 million Chinese tourists a year.

Since 2016, Air China and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines have opened international flights from Shenzhen to Tokyo, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur and Manila. Shenzhen Airlines will open more routes to the southeastern Asian countries along the Belt and Road, intensify flights to northeastern Asian countries, and open more intercontinental routes to Australia, Europe and America at the appropriate time.

By the end of October, Shenzhen Airlines had a fleet of nearly 200 commercial aircraft operating on 220 domestic and international routes.

Shenzhen travelers flying with Shenzhen Airlines can reach 63 cities including Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, Frankfurt and Los Angeles. Before the end of 2018, an additional five A330 aircraft will be put into service on major lines and international routes. The number of aircraft operated by Shenzhen Airlines will reach 230 by the end of 2020.