Dec. 7 marked the inaugural flight for Air China’s non-stop route between Shenzhen (SZX) and Los Angeles (LAX).

Last year, more than 5 million tourists travelled between China and the United States, and Los Angeles became the first U.S. city to welcome more than 1 million Chinese visitors. The new route adds to Shenzhen’s growing portfolio of international long-haul routes and will help promote economic and cultural exchange between southern China and the U.S. west coast.

The non-stop route reduces the journey time between Shenzhen and Los Angeles to just more than 12 hours, providing a convenient link for tourists and business travellers.

As part of China’s One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiative, Air China expanded its global route network, now operating flights out of four main hubs in Beijing (PEK), Chengdu (CTU), Shanghai (PVG) and Shenzhen.

The new route is operated under flight numbers CA769/70 three times per week — Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Outbound flights depart Shenzhen at 23:30, arriving in Los Angeles at 20:00. Inbound flights will depart Los Angeles at 22:50 and arrive in Shenzhen at 05:40.

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft operates the routes, configured with a three-class cabin.