First nonstop San Francisco--Chengdu flight launched  

14小时直航美国 成都直飞旧金山6月11日启航

The first flight of the route, carrying 208 passengers, arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

(ECNS) -- A direct air route between Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, and the western US city of San Francisco was launched Tuesday.

The first flight of the route, carrying 208 passengers, arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

The first flight to leave for San Francisco is scheduled to take off around 10:00am Wednesday.

The nonstop trip takes roughly 14 hours, and shaves off about four hours for a typical flight with a stop between the two cities, said Hu, a resident of Chengdu who studies in San Francisco.

The flight will depart from San Francisco on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1:35pm on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The return trip will depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10am and arrive in San Francisco at 8:50am the same day.

United Airlines, the route carrier, is the first US airline to fly direct from San Francisco to mainland China beyond Beijing and Shanghai, and the first to serve Chengdu.

Chengdu is home to many international financial institutions and becoming a major financial hub in western China. It is the fourth most populous city, according to a census in 2010.