Today, the first travelers on Delta Air Lines’ new nonstop trans-Pacific flight will arrive in Salt Lake City this morning, four hours before they left Tokyo.

The very idea that somebody can get on a plane in Tokyo and get off in Salt Lake City without any stops in between — and vice versa — is a source of much joy and jubilation for state economic development officials and the companies likely to benefit from this one-and-only direct connection between the Intermountain West and Asia.

“This flight, coming on the heels of the nonstop to Paris, solidifies Utah as a significant hub for Delta,” Jason Perry, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said Tuesday. “It’s a huge vote of confidence in the state of Utah’s ability to put people on a plane and get out globally. It highlights the increased sophistication of the state.”

Perry’s enthusiasm was echoed by Bob Cortelyou, a senior vice president over Delta’s network of interconnecting flights. “Denver doesn’t have a flight to Tokyo or anywhere in Asia,” Cortelyou emphasized. “That makes Salt Lake City the gateway to Asia for the whole Intermountain West … It’s a very envious position to be in.”

To increase the significance of this new route, Delta’s Cortelyou said the airline will introduce domestic flights into Salt Lake City from 11 new U.S. cities on Thursday, in addition to adding nine flights from existing sites. “We’re excited about the connection potential,” he said. “It’s part of our overall strategy of a strong Salt Lake City hub. It’s working out well. Salt Lake will be the crown jewel of our Tokyo service.”

Spencer Eccles, chairman of the Salt Lake Chamber’s international business committee, said the direct flights to Tokyo — plus Delta connections from there to 14 other major Asian cities — “cuts substantial travel time and adds a great deal of convenience for company representatives who want to do business in Utah.”

That’s critical for Utah’s economy, which has experienced a 31 percent growth in overall export trade in the past year, Eccles said. Last year, Japan was Utah’s fourth largest export destination in Asia, seventh overall, receiving $376 million worth of goods.

The nonstop flight from Salt Lake  to Tokyo lasts 11-hour, 50-minutes whereas the Tokyo-to-Salt Lake flight is an hour shorter because of tail winds; crossing the international dateline accounts for the arrival time in Salt Lake preceding the departure time from Tokyo.

For more information and ticketing click here to visit Delta’s Website.

Enjoy the flight,

DoSLC