United Airlines today announced new daily nonstop service from Indianapolis to its hub at San Francisco International Airport, beginning Jan. 7, 2014. The flights will operate using Airbus A319 aircraft, with eight United First seats, 40 United Economy Plus seats and 72 United Economy seats.

United flight 500 will depart Indianapolis International Airport at 8 a.m., arriving at San Francisco International Airport at 10 a.m. The return flight, United 317, will depart San Francisco at 1:35 p.m., arriving in Indianapolis at 8:51 p.m.

The new service, which launches from San Francisco to Indianapolis on Jan. 7 and from Indianapolis to San Francisco on Jan. 8, will provide travelers with convenient connections from United’s largest West Coast hub to points throughout North America, Asia and Australia. United currently offers nonstop service from Indianapolis to its hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Newark and Washington, D.C., with up to 35 daily flights offering single-connection access to more than 261 cities across the globe.

“We are thrilled to offer customers new mainline service between San Francisco and Indianapolis, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country,” said Kate Gebo, United’s vice president of corporate real estate. “The daily service will connect customers in Indianapolis to our largest gateway to the Pacific, where United offers more flights to more destinations than any other airline.”

“Since becoming governor, the business community repeatedly identified the lack of access to San Francisco as an economic development barrier for Indiana, hindering our ability to compete for and win new jobs for Hoosiers,” said Mike Pence, governor of Indiana. “With a reputation as a state that collaboratively works to solve problems, through public and private sector partnership we spearheaded an effort to secure a non-stop route from Indianapolis to San Francisco. This will not only maximize our opportunities for economic development, but will benefit companies and communities across the state.”