Air China will launch non-stop service between Beijing and Washington DC from 10 June, ending United Airlines' monopoly on the route.
The Star Alliance carrier will operate four times weekly, with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, says an Air China spokesperson.
United operates daily between Washington DC and Beijing, also with 777s.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
Officially known as the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, the new aircraft will replace the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch jet capable of commanding the USA’s nuclear arsenal.
Although battlefield observations from the Ukraine War led the army to cancel its next-generation armed scout helicopter, the service’s senior aviation leaders say they still see a need for Bell’s V-280 Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft in future conflicts.
Last June during a business event in Connecticut, Sikorsky president Paul Lemmo said the company’s VH-92A Patriot helicopter would take over presidential transport missions flown by VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters “completely” by this spring. That still has not happened.
