United Airlines will become the first U.S.-based airline to offer a non-stop, trans-Pacific route from San Francisco International Airport to Xi´an Xianyang International Airport in Xi´an, China. Each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, United´s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft will complete this 13-hour journey from SFO to the capital city of China´s Shaanxi Province. Twelve-hour-long return flights to San Francisco will be available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays each week. The airline is celebrating its 30th anniversary of connecting the United States and China through air travel, and is commemorating this collaboration by adding a thrice-weekly service to a new city. China is projected to pass the United States as the world´s largest market for aircraft and air travel. Xi´an has become a destination growing for both leisure and business travelers. With more than 8 million residents, the city is also a research and development hub for China´s space exploration program. As the number of travelers from China to the United States increases and the visa policies become more lax, the airline capitalized on this anticipated growth with more flight options.