The arrival of a Boeing 777-200 in Shanghai at 2:55 pm Thursday signals the nation's maiden non-stop flight between its financial hub and Dallas in the United States.
The service, provided by American Airlines Group Inc, between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth, is the carrier's fourth non-stop route connecting China and the US since the launch of Shanghai-Chicago route in 2006.
"The new flight will provide more options for Chinese customers traveling to the US and enable excellent onward connections to Mexico,the Caribbean, South America and Latin America," said Suzanne Boda, senior vice-president, airport customer service, international and cargo of American Airlines.
American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, will launch another non-stop service between Hong Kong and Dallas/Fort Worth on Friday.
The newly-added direct flights are amid enthusiasm of airlines to launch Sino-US flights. On Tuesday, Air China started offering non-stop flights between Beijing and Washington DC. Later this month, Hainan Airlines will officially launch its direct service between Beijing and Boston.