United Airlines to Launch San Francisco - Xi’an Flights

United Airlines has opened reservations on its newest destination in China, Xi’an.

The nonstop flights will be operated three times per week from San Francisco between 8 May and 27 October 2016, subject to government approval.

United will use Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route. The airline currently has 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, and expects to take delivery of three more by the end of 2015.

The flights will depart San Francisco International Airport at 13:35 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and arrive in Xi’an at 17:30 the following days (all times local).

The return flights will depart Xi’an’s Xianyang International Airport at 09:30 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 06:35 the same day.

Flight times will be approximately 12 hours, 55 minutes westbound and 12 hours, 5 minutes eastbound.

Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China, at the eastern end of the Silk Road.

With a population of more than 8 million, it is one of China’s oldest cities and an important cultural, economic and educational center.

The plains surrounding Xi’an are home to the famed Bingmayong (Terracotta Warriors), thousands of life-size, hand-molded figures buried with China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.