The city of Fuzhou in southeast China is now connected to New York following the launch of a new trans-Pacific air route this week.

On Wednesday 15 February 2017 at 0915, Xiamen Airlines flight MF849 took off from Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, for the first time, bound for New York’s JFK Airport. The outbound flight time is approximately 14.5 hours.

Flights will now operate three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) with the return flights leaving New York at 1255 on the same days. Xiamen Airlines will deploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the route.

The new flights are targeted at the large Chinese expat community; Xinhua reports that 800,000 people with origins in the Fuzhou area live in and around New York.

Xiamen Airlines launched its first ever US route last year, flying to Seattle. And the carrier’s trans-Pacific expansion will continue in June 2017 with the start of services to Los Angeles.

Fuzhou becomes the fourth mainland Chinese city with direct flights to New York, following Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.