Delta Air Lines plans to begin daily nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Shanghai-Pudong Airport on July 9, 2015, pending U.S. Department of Transportation and foreign government approval.

Delta’s new Los Angeles-Shanghai flight will connect travelrs to more than 25 cities in China, while the Los Angeles-bound Shanghai flight will offer connections to 40 markets throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Delta’s new service will support several established and emerging fields of business, including entertainment, technology, healthcare and professional services. The route will operate using a 291-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft with 37 full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, 36 seats in Economy Comfort and 218 seats in Economy class.

“Delta’s new nonstop service provides our business customers with more access to Shanghai and markets beyond through our partnerships with China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines,” said Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s vice president of Sales – West. “This route was the most requested by our corporate customers, and everyone will enjoy the investments we’ve made to upgrade our airport facilities, our onboard service, full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in BusinessElite, and industry-leading complimentary in-flight entertainment.”

Combined with its hubs in Detroit, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita, Delta will operate 42 weekly departures to China’s global financial center. Additionally, Delta offers daily service to China’s capital, Beijing, from both Seattle and Detroit.

The Los Angeles market makes up 25 percent of all U.S.-Asia demand, and the start of Shanghai service marks Delta’s fourth daily nonstop flight to the Asia-Pacific region in addition to Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo-Haneda and Sydney.

Delta Air Lines, www.delta.com