American Airlines to begin Shanghai-Dallas route

American Airlines has received approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to start a daily non-stop route between Shanghai and Dallas, Texas, this summer, a senior manager from the airlines said on Friday.

The carrier will start offering the new service from June 12 using Boeing 777-200 aircraft, said Erwan Perhirin, managing director of AA Asia Pacific.

"We are very pleased that the CAAC has awarded us the slots to begin the Shanghai to Dallas service," said Perhirin.

The airline will also open a daily non-stop service from Hong Kong to Dallas this summer, using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

American Airlines has a long-standing ambition to increase its presence in the Chinese market to meet growing demand from passengers. It now has routes to Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas from Shanghai, said Maxine Peng, newly appointed general manager of AA China.

"We intend to provide substantial benefits by deepening the important cultural and economic ties between China and America plus opening new connecting opportunities for Chinese passengers traveling across the US and Latin America," Peng said.

The new flight will depart from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 16:50 and arrive at the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport at 18:10 the same day, enabling excellent onward connections for customers to Latin America destinations and 90 mainland US and Canadian locations, she said.

The new route, Peng said, will be the first nonstop service connecting China with the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, a gateway for Chinese travelers to the Texan economic hub.

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