United/Supplied
The flight from San Francisco is set to touch down in Christchurch at 10.35am.
United Airlines is set to become the first US airline to land in Christchurch, with an inaugural flight from San Francisco due to touch down at 10.35am on Sunday morning.
In what the airline is harking as a “pivotal moment in aviation history for Christchurch” the flight will mark the first time a US carrier has flown to New Zealand’s South Island.
The inaugural aircraft has been christened with the name ‘Kiwi Cruiser’, which will be adorned with a special symbolic silver fern to mark the occasion.
The new direct route will be flown three times a week onboard a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson said he was “so excited” to welcome United to the South Island airport for the summer and hoped the service would “supercharge” tourism in the region.
“The American travel market is buoyant, with Americans travelling widely again, and we…