BEIJING - Air China, one of the country's leading carriers, will launch a direct Beijing-Montreal air service starting on September 29, the first trans-Pacific direct link between Asia and Montreal.

Three flights, numbered CA879 and CA880, will be available on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday each week. The flight will leave Beijing at 1:00 pm and arrive in Montreal at 1:50 pm local time. The plane will return to Beijing later the same day.

The service will be operated by Air China, using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and Air Canada will place its code on the flights on a code-share basis.

With the new route linking Beijing with Canada's second largest city, Star Alliance carriers will offer convenient connections and transfer services to travellers in China, Canada and the United States, said Air China CEO Song Zhiyong.

Currently, Air China operates up to 11 flights per week between Beijing and Vancouver. Air Canada operates a total of 28 flights each week between Canada and China, from Toronto and Vancouver to and from Beijing and Shanghai.