FUZHOU - A direct flight opened Wednesday between Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, and New York.

Flight MF849 took off from Fuzhou at 9:15 am Wednesday and will land in New York after A 14.5-hour flight.

It will depart from Fuzhou on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The return flight leaves New York at 12:55 pm local time.

The new route, operated by Xiamen Airlines, makes Fuzhou the fourth city in China after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to have direct flights to New York.

A total of 800,000 people with origins in Fuzhou live in the New York area.

Xiamen Airlines will also launch a direct flight from Xiamen city to Los Angeles in June, according to Che Shanglun, chairman of the airline.