New air route to link China's Haikou, U.S. city Seattle

HAIKOU, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Hainan Airlines has announced the launch of a new air route connecting Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, and Seattle in the United States via Chongqing, starting Sept. 26.

One round-trip flight per week will operate on this route, with flight HU445 departing Haikou every Thursday. Both the outbound and inbound flights will include a stopover in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

This will be the first air route from Haikou to the United States operated by Hainan Airlines. It is expected to not only enhance air travel but also support the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

In recent years, Hainan has ramped up efforts to resume and launch international air routes. As of May this year, the province had 46 overseas passenger routes in operation, with the number expected to reach 62 by the end of this year.