Denver is getting its first-ever nonstop flight to Turks and Caicos

Start planning the beach trip. United Airlines just announced that it will launch nonstop service between Denver International Airport and Providenciales International Airport in Turks and Caicos beginning Dec. 19 — the first time DIA has ever offered a direct flight to the Caribbean island chain.

The seasonal route will operate weekly on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 with 179 seats, including 20 in business class. United expects the route to serve more than 10,000 passengers in its first year. The airline said the route is the result of extensive negotiations with the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority.

Turks and Caicos Premier Charles Washington Misick called the route “tremendously exciting,” saying Denver opens convenient access not just to Colorado but to California and the entire western United States. “Having already established strong links to the eastern and midwestern markets, we are delighted to now extend our reach to the west,” Misick said. Tourism minister Zhavargo Jolly called the announcement “another important step in expanding the global reach” of the islands.

The new route pushes DIA’s global network to 237 nonstop destinations, including 35 international markets across 19 countries and 202 domestic destinations in 46 states plus Puerto Rico.

For Coloradans who’ve been connecting through Miami or Charlotte to get to Providenciales, December can’t come fast enough.