Hainan Airlines to launch direct Chengdu-New York flight in October

Hainan Airlines will launch a direct flight between Chengdu and New York on October 26.

In summer and autumn, two departures from and two arrivals in Chengdu are scheduled each week.

The flight departs Chengdu at 22:00 on Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York at 00:50 a day later due to time difference with a flight time of close to 16 hours.

The flight departs New York at 2:50 on Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Chengdu at 5:55 a day later with a flight time of about 14 hours.

Currently, passengers traveling between the two cities need to connect via Beijing and Shanghai with a flight time ranging from 31 to 41 hours.

Apart from being the first nonstop flight linking Chengdu with the eastern coast of the United States, it is also the third United States-bound direct flight from Chengdu, the first two being San Francisco-bound and Los Angeles-bound.