Victorians and other Aussies have a new way to travel to China with the launch of China Eastern Airlines flights between Melbourne and the city of Nanjing over the weekend.
The new service marks the first time Victoria has been linked with its sister state in China, Jiangsu Province.
Utilising its A330 aircraft, China Eastern will fly the route three times per week, with flights operating on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Flights will arrive into Melbourne at 10am and depart Tullamarine at 12pm.
Nanjing previously represented one of the largest unserved markets for Melbourne Airport, the hub said, with over 60,000 travellers moving between the Victorian capital and the Chinese city every year.
With the new service, China Eastern will operate 13 flights per week from Melbourne, three more than before COVID. It also operates Melbourne-Shanghai services.
The new flights also bring Melbourne-China capacity to 92 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the new flights open up a potentially lucrative market for both tourism and trade.
“China is such a critical market for Melbourne Airport and for the state: a daily international flight from China to Melbourne brings in more than $150 million for the Victorian economy,” he said.
“The Chinese market has been slow to recover but we are seeing green shoots, and that’s thanks to the great support of airlines such as China Eastern which have invested in Melbourne.
“Melbourne Airport’s first direct connection to Nanjing opens up a new market for tourism and export growth, with China being Victoria’s largest two-way trading partner.
“The number of China Eastern flights into Melbourne Airport is now 30 per cent higher than before Covid, and that growth is made possible by the open skies agreement between China and Australia, which gives airlines certainty to expand existing footprints across the nation.”
Victorian Minister for Jobs and Industry Natalie Hutchins said the new flights provide a boost to trade and tourism ties with China and will help create more jobs in Victoria.
China Eastern, a SkyTeam alliance carrier, has been ramping up its Australian operations since late 2023.
In October, the Shanghai-based airline returned to Queensland with Brisbane-Shanghai flights. It followed this up with a surprise trans-Tasman service between Sydney and Auckland and the first-ever Sydney-Jinan flights in late November.
China Eastern also undertook a three-times-weekly seasonal service between Perth and Shanghai last Australian summer and a four-times-weekly Cairns-Shanghai service for Chinese New Year celebrations in 2024. Authorities hope high demand will lead to a year-round service from Cairns.
