NAGOYA (Kyodo) United Airlines said Friday it will operate daily nonstop flights between Chubu Cetrair International Airport -- due to open near Nagoya in February -- and San Francisco, beginning in June.

The service, involving the use of 250-seat Boeing 777-200ERs, will be the first by the U.S carrier to the Chubu region.

At a news conference in Nagoya, Mark Schwab, vice president in charge of Asia-Pacific operations, said United will aim to effect connection times of less than one hour for passengers on the service flying on to other parts of Japan from the new airport.

Chubu airport will offer easier connections between international flights and domestic flights compared with other airports in Japan.

Flights will depart from Chubu airport at 3:40 p.m. and arrive in San Francisco at 9:25 a.m. local time the same day, while Nagoya-bound flights will depart the West Coast city at 1:30 p.m. local time and arrive at 4:40 p.m. Japan time the following day.

San Francisco international airport has same-day connections to 46 U.S. cities, United said. From the new Japanese airport, passengers will be able to fly to nine Japanese cities, including Fukuoka, Sapporo and Kagoshima.

Central Japan International Airport Co. President Yukihisa Hirano, who attended the same news conference, welcomed United's plan to fly to the new airport as "meeting demand both for business and leisure flights."