Melbourne Airport welcomed the inaugural China Southern Airlines Beijing–Melbourne flight on 14 December 2024, flying from Beijing Daxing International Airport to the Victoria capital and marking its first direct link with China’s newest and largest aviation hub.
It comes as Melbourne Airport gears up for a bumper international summer travel period with additional capacity from airlines, including China Southern.
The Chinese carrier also recently resumed direct flights between Adelaide and Guangzhou after an absence of almost five years.
The seasonal Melbourne-Beijing service will operate three times per week for 10 weeks on China Southern’s Airbus A330-300s.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the direct Daxing service would improve connectivity into mainland China for both travellers and exporters.
“Connectivity with mainland China continues to improve and this new route to the centrally located Beijing Daxing Airport will provide passengers with easy access to key business and cultural centres in northern China,” he said.
“While our international market has well and truly moved from recovery to growth, we are now starting to see the Chinese market recovery gain pace with capacity now back above pre-pandemic levels and passenger levels climbing.”
Parashos said the China Southern flights will further support international traffic growth, following the hub’s strongest November on record with almost one million international passengers.
Melbourne Airport expects 4.8 million people to pass through its terminals over the festive season to 27 January 2025, including 1.8 million international travellers.
For more info, head to csair.com
