All Nippon Airways will launch its non-stop flight to Mexico City on February 15, 2017.

The daily flight will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 and will be the longest flight in the airline’s network. It is timed to connect with flights to and from the rest of Asia.

Mexico City is ANA’s 42^nd international destination and the first in Latin America.

“We are proud to be the first airline to operate direct, daily flights between Japan and Mexico to better serve the growing business and leisure demand between our two countries,” said Osamu Shinobe, CEO and president of ANA. “We hope our flight will also contribute to a closer bilateral relationship, economic prosperity and cultural exchange.”

Mexico is an important automobile manufacturing centre, with factories belonging to Japanese brands such as Honda and Nissan. According to the Japan External Trade Organization, Japanese direct investment in Mexico increased by approximately 2.7 times from 2010 to 2015 and, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Japanese-owned companies setting up operations in Mexico roughly doubled in the same period.

The schedule for the new flight is as follows.