Ciao, Sicily. United Airlines just touched down on one of the most popular Italian islands. Flight 735 departed from United's Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) hub and landed at Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) as the airline's first-ever nonstop flight to Sicily.

The 4,463-mile route, operated by a Boeing 767-400ER, is part of United's major summertime expansion, which includes eight new cities and 13 new routes. While Palermo may not be as off-the-beaten-path as Mongolia or Greenland, the flight still turned some heads and drew lots of applause throughout the 8-hour, 10-minute journey.