Hawaiian Airlines has become the first carrier ever in the state to offer nonstop service between Honolulu and Long Beach, Calif.

The state’s largest airline, which now flies to seven cities in California, initiated the route Thursday with a celebratory event at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The return leg of that flight will take place today from Long Beach to Honolulu.

Other California cities served by Hawaiian are Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.

Hawaiian is using its new 189-seat Airbus A321neo on the Long Beach route, which will allow passengers headed to or from that Southern California region the opportunity to bypass congested Los Angeles International Airport and its busy freeway network. The A321neo, which Hawaiian began putting into service earlier this year, enables the airline to fly into smaller markets that previously were not economically feasible with the carrier’s larger Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft. The A321neo also allows Hawaiian to service larger markets with nonstop flights to neighbor islands.

“We’re thrilled to grow our West Coast presence by offering Southern California travelers another convenient gateway to experience our award-winning Hawaiian hospitality,” Hawaiian President and CEO Peter Ingram said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to delight guests with our superior product and service in the comfort of our newest aircraft.”

Hawaiian’s inaugural Long Beach flight departed Honolulu at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and arrived in Long Beach at 9 p.m. Today’s return flight is scheduled to depart Long Beach at 8:30 a.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 11:40 a.m.

“I am delighted that Hawaiian Airlines is now offering service to Honolulu from Long Beach Airport,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “Long Beach Airport is consistently ranked one of the best airports in the U.S. and this announcement is further proof that airlines are eager to fly from our airport, which is good news for local travelers.”

Hawaiian said it will use A321neos to fly additional routes between the West Coast and Hawaii as it receives a total of 18 of those aircraft through 2020. The airline currently has three in service and will take delivery of eight more through the end of the year.

By September, Hawaiian said, the A321neo will be the airline’s dedicated aircraft on the following routes: San Diego-Kahului; Portland, Ore.-Honolulu and Portland-Kahului; Oakland-Honolulu, Oakland-Kahului and Oakland-Lihue; and Los Angeles-Lihue and Los Angeles-Kona.