United Airlines of the Untied States is kicking off the first direct flight Wednesday between Washington DC and China.

The nation's second-largest carrier received government approval to launch the route earlier this year. The service was coveted by executives and government officials and is estimated to be worth more than $200 million a year.

United beat out AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, which sought to fly between Dallas/Fort Worth and Beijing. Other contenders were Continental Airlines Inc., which applied for service between Newark, N.J., and Shanghai; and Northwest Airlines Corp., which applied for Detroit-Shanghai service.

The flight was scheduled to leave Washington Dulles International Airport at 12:23 p.m. Wednesday and land in Beijing at 1:55 p.m. local time Thursday. United has scheduled one daily flight from Dulles to China, and one return flight arriving in Dulles at 7:46 p.m.

"Connecting for the first time two of the world's most important cities is a historic occasion with great geopolitical, commercial and cultural promise for citizens of both the United States and China," Glenn Tilton, United's chief executive, said in a prepared statement.