In 2001, Newark Liberty International Airport became the terminus of the world's longest non-stop scheduled airline route, Continental's service to Hong Kong. Continental began flying from Newark to Beijing on June 15, 2005 and Delhi on November 1, 2005. When these services began, Continental became for a time the only airline to serve India nonstop from the United States, and the third U.S. carrier, after United and Northwest to serve mainland China nonstop and the first U.S. carrier to offer nonstop flights to Beijing from New York. On July 16, 2007, Continental Airlines announced that it would seek government approval for nonstop flights between Newark and Shanghai in 2009. In September 2007, the United States Department of Transportation tentatively awarded Continental the right to fly to Shanghai from Newark beginning March 25, 2009 using Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.