TIANJIN - A direct flight between Tianjin and Vancouver was launched on Friday.

Flight HU7959, operated by Hainan Airlines, is the first direct passenger air route linking Tianjin with North America.

The flight, operated using a Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft, will take about 11 hours and fly every Monday and Friday, according to Zhang Hu with the Tianjin Binhai International Airport.

This year is the China-Canada Tourism Year, and the new air route will improve bilateral economic and cultural exchanges, according to Dave Murphy, Minister (Commercial) at the Embassy of Canada to China.

This is the 16th international air route opened by Hainan Airlines in North America, according to Xu Jun, president of the carrier. Xu said more routes, including flights linking Beijing with Dublin, Shenzhen with Vienna and Guangzhou with Tel Aviv, will also be launched in the coming months.