TIANJIN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin Airlines announced Tuesday it will launch a flight linking the Chinese cities of Tianjin and Xi'an with London on May 7.

The flight stops in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province and home of the Terracotta Army, en route between Tianjin and London.

As the first non-stop service between Shaanxi and Britain, it is expected to strengthen exchanges between the two places.

A 260-seat Airbus A330 will operate the service. A one-way flight will take 13 to 14 hours, not including a two-hour stopover in Xi'an.