KUNMING, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- China Eastern Airlines will launch flights connecting the Chinese cities of Kunming and Qingdao with San Francisco in the United Stateson Thursday, the company said Wednesday.

An Airbus 33H will fly the route three times a week.

It will depart from Kunming at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 9 a.m. via Qingdao, a port city in Shandong Province, according to a statement issued by the Yunnan branch of China Eastern Airlines.

The return flight is scheduled at 10:45 a.m. local time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and will arrive in Kunming at 7:35 p.m. the next day, it said.

Kunming, capital of China's southwestern Yunnan Province, is known as Spring City for its mild climate and green environment. The city offers international transit passengers 72-hour visa-free stays.