CHANGSHA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China launched its first direct air route to Alaska of the United States on Sunday evening with a Boeing 767 taking off from the central city of Changsha to Anchorage of Alaska.

The maiden flight took off at 5:35 p.m. from Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. It is expected to arrive in Anchorage, the largest city of Alaska, in nine and a half hours, said Liu Zhiren, general manager of Hunan Airport Management Group Co. Ltd.

The flight will continue its trip to Los Angeles after a 2-hour stop in Anchorage, said Liu.

The U.S. carrier Dynamic Airways will fly the route in chartered flight until the end of March next year when it will launch a regular twice-a-week flight, he said.

The opening of the route will help Alaska's salmon, crabs and beef to enter into the Chinese market with a much lower price, he added.

Changsha is expected to open air routes to Tokyo and Australia next year.