BEIJING, Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — On December 7, the inaugural flight for Air China’s non-stop route between Shenzhen and Los Angeles will take off from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. The new route adds to Shenzhen’s growing portfolio of international long-haul routes and will help to promote economic and cultural exchange between southern China and the U.S. West Coast.

In 2016, more than 5 million tourists travelled between China and the U.S., while China became the top destination for U.S. travellers in the Asia Pacific. Los Angeles also became the first U.S. city to welcome over one million Chinese visitors in the space of a year. Air China’s new non-stop route will reduce the journey time between Shenzhen and Los Angelesto just over 12 hours and provide a convenient new link for tourists and business passengers.

In recent years, Air China has been expanding its global route network to complement important government strategies, including the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. Air China now operates flights out of four main hubs in Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Meanwhile, Air China and Shenzhen Airlines have also been expanding Shenzhen’s international route network, with the full backing of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. In 2016, Air China partnered with Shenzhen Airlines to launch a new route between Shenzhen and Los Angeles via Beijing and a non-stop route between Shenzhen and Frankfurt. These new services expanded Shenzhen’s international route network and helped to spur the development of Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. They are also an important pillar of Air China’s strategy to improve route coverage in Southern China.

The new route between Shenzhen and Los Angeles will be operated under flight numbers CA769/70 on a tri-weekly schedule (Monday, Thursday and Saturday).Outbound flights will depart from Shenzhen at 23:30 and arrive in Los Angeles at 20:00. Inbound flights will depart from Los Angeles at 22:50 and arrive in Shenzhen at 05:40 the third day. All times are given in local time. Air China’s new route will be operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft configured with a three-class cabin layout (Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class). All booking classes are equipped with 11-inch touchscreen displays for a superior in-flight entertainment experience.