XIAMEN - Xiamen Airlines has begun a direct flights linking Xiamen in East China's Fujian province to Vancouver, Canada.

A Boeing 787-8 aircraft, carrying 213 passengers, took off from Xiamen at 9:30 pm on Monday and arrived in Vancouver 12 hours later, the first direct route between the province and North America.

Outbound flights will leave Xiamen every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and inbound flights will depart Vancouver every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Previously passengers from Fujian had to fly to Beijing or Shanghai before heading for Vancouver, and the new route shortens the flight time by five to eight hours.