Xi'an City, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has opened its first international air route to the U.S. city of Seattle, sources with Xi'an Xianyang International Airport confirmed on Thursday.
Hainan Airlines will fly the route, which began on Wednesday, with its Airbus A330. The airline will operate such service on Wednesdays and Saturdays, according to the sources.
Taking off from Xi'an at 10:40 a.m., the plane is scheduled to stop at Beijing en route to Seattle, said Guo Chao, deputy manager with the Xi'an branch of the airline.
The journey will take 16 hours and 25 minutes, Guo said.
The flight will be more convenient for passengers from China's northwestern regions, who used to fly via Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong to travel to the United States.
