Hainan Airlines, a unit of HNA Group and mainland China’s only Skytrax Five-Star airline, this week begins two new routes between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Chongqing.

Services to Chongqing commenced on October 21 and to Chengdu on October 27 from JFK’s Terminal 4. Each route will operate twice weekly on Hainan Airline’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. With a capacity for over 60,000 passengers per year, it is the only nonstop service offered between New York City and China’s rapidly growing Sichuan province. Chongqing to New York will be Hainan Airlines’ longest flight route—nearly 7573 miles.

These new services represent the 13^th and 14^th nonstop trans-Pacific routes, following the West Coast launch earlier in the year.

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is widely recognized for its Giant Panda Breeding Center. But this traditional home of Sichuanese cooking city is fast-becoming the latest stop on the global food trail, as Chengdu is Asia’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Chengdu also strikes the perfect balance of traditional Chinese customs and modern cultural elements, from the many traditional tea houses to the 150 museums it boasts.

Chongqing is a major commercial center of 30 million people, renowned for its distinctive spicy cuisine, and its busy port along the Yangtze River. Chongqing is the home of the UNESCO World Heritage site of The Dazu Rock Carvings and Chinese religious sculptures and carvings that date back to the 7^th Century. As the provisional capital of China from 1937 – 1945, Chongqing also has a rich wartime history.

Hainan Airline New Route Information

Through its partner, JetBlue, Hainan Airlines will offer connections to its network of over 70 destinations to passengers arriving from JFK.