American Airlines has submitted a proposal to the US Department of Transportation to begin daily nonstop service from Los Angeles to the Chinese capital of Beijing, two weeks after Delta Air Lines announced a similar bid. Currently, Air China is the only airline operating direct flights from Los Angeles to Beijing.

Both airlines said they would like to begin service from Los Angeles International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport starting 16 December, but with a limited number of slots available, it will be up to the DOT to decide who gets the coveted routes.

“This new route would solidify Los Angeles as American’s West Coast gateway to Asia and it would be our only Beijing access from the western United States, creating new connections to one of Asia’s major business and leisure destinations,” American’s chief marketing officer Andrew Nocella said in a statement.

American operates nonstop service to Beijing from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. It also offers flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport through its code-sharing agreement with China’s Hainan Airlines.

Delta currently offers nonstop service to Beijing from Seattle and Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport. The competition for routes to Beijing is the latest clash between the two carriers as they seek to bolster their presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

In February, American began operating direct flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport using slots previously used by Delta for service from Seattle. The two airlines are also expected to compete for newly opened daytime slots at Haneda.

Since 2013, American has more than doubled its number of destinations in the Asia Pacific region, according to the company. Both American and Delta already offer nonstop service from Los Angeles to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.