File photo:Air China

Air China will resume direct flights between Beijing and San Francisco starting from November 1, with two round-trip flights on Wednesday and Saturday every week, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco said on Sunday. 

The move came in response to growing demand and will help direct passenger flight market recovery in the post-COVID-19 era.

On January 7, 1981, a Boeing 747SP large passenger aircraft flew over the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first link between China and the US that links Beijing, Shanghai, San Francisco and New York, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco said in a statement published on its WeChat account on Sunday.

San Francisco is the first US city connected by a Chinese commercial flight reached, it said. Over the past 42 years, flights have become a bond that connects the two countries, making contributions to people-to-people exchanges, economic development and other aspects.

During US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's meeting with China's minister of culture and tourism Hu Heping in August, they both stressed the importance of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. "It is hoped that the US will work with China to further increase direct flights between the two countries," Hu said.

On August 11, the US Department of Transportation said that each country will add six weekly round-trip flights as of September 1, up from the current 12, while the figure will increase to 24 per week starting from October 29.

Along with the increase of flights between China and the US, ticket fares have also begun to moderate. According to Chinese online travel agency Trip.com, the cost of an indirect flight between Beijing and San Francisco has been as low as 5,000 yuan ($683.34) in October.