Tourism Australia announced (05-Dec-2017) the addition of the following new air services from China to Queensland in Dec-2017:
- China Southern Airlines launched three times weekly Guangzhou-Cairns service with A330 equipment on 05-Dec-2017;
- Air China intends to launch four times weekly Beijing-Brisbane service on 12-Dec-2017.
The new routes follow China Eastern Airlines' move to increase Shanghai-Brisbane frequency from four times weekly to daily during Nov-2017. According to Tourism Australia, Chinese travellers can now fly to Australia from 17 cities, with 10 airlines operating around 150 direct services per week to six ports in Australia. The new services follow the signing of a new Australia-China aviation agreement in Dec-2016, which allows Australian and Chinese airlines to offer unlimited services to and from any points in Australia and China, including international airports in regional Australia. This is the first time China has signed such an agreement with any country. China and Australia also designated 2017 as the year of China-Australia tourism. [more - original PR]