China's largest privately-owned airline and the country's fourth largest, Hainan Air, is set to officially start its Beijing-Boston direct flights on 20 June, airline officials announced.

Using the Boejing 787 Dreamliner on the route, Hainan Air will service Beijing and Boston direct every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with the aim of serving around 5,000 passengers a month.

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Boston is now the largest US market that does not have any direct flights to China and Hainan Air aims to fill that gap. The state of Massachusetts is also one of the biggest markets for Chinese tourists, airline officials said.

The launching of the Boston-Beijing direct flights is a product of several years of meetings between the Massachusetts government, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and Hainan airlines. The meeting started in 2007.

Massport, which is a developer, promoter and manager of airports, seaport and transport infrastructure in Massachuetts, awarded Hainan Air nearly US $900,000 in subsidies to make the long-awaited direct route a reality. The subsidies include rebated landing fees and marketing support.

In a statement released to the press, Massport said the new route is very important to serve the growing demand for business and leisure travel.

The state of Massachusetts is where Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are located. These two colleges are among the top tour destinations for many Chinese parents and students who want US education.

About 40 percent of international students studying at MIT are Chinese.

On its inaugural flight, Hainan Air said it will run promotional sale for customers who will fly business and economy class from Boston to Beijing.