China Southern Airlines is returning to South Australia. Asia’s largest airline, China Southern will resume non-stop flights between Adelaide and Guangzhou on 12 December 2024. The carrier last flew to Adelaide in March 2020.
Utilising its B787-8 Dreamliner on the route, China Southern will operate the service three times per week – taking off from Adelaide on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
Flight CZ664 will depart ADL at 11:30am and arrive in Guangzhou at 6.05pm. Return flight CZ663 leaves China at 10.15pm and lands in SA at 9.55pm (+1) – on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
The new service, which will offer 798 seats per week each way on the route, will provide a welcome boost to South Australian tourism by the state’s second-largest visitor market.
It will also give Aussie travellers another option to connect to Europe, North America, and elsewhere within China Southern’s vast network.
With the announcement, the number of direct international airlines to fly to Adelaide will increase to nine.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the new service would provide a massive boost to tourism and trade, with the tourism impact alone estimated at more than $69 million annually.
“Building airline capacity has been a priority for the government from the start, as we work to bring back international visitors in South Australia who are not just here for a holiday, but those ready to invest in businesses, education, and exports,” he remarked.
“I look forward to this December when we welcome China Southern Airlines, and the thousands of visitors on board, back to South Australia.”
SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said CZ’s return said the new service’s impact would go beyond just Australian and Chinese travellers.
“The return of China Southern Airlines to South Australia this December is welcome news for travellers and operators alike, as the service connects our state to not just a key international market, but the world,” she stated.
“The three weekly China Southern Airlines flights will make South Australia that much more enticing for potential visitors from China, an international market once worth $384 million to our state’s visitor economy.
“South Australia’s international market is now at an all-time high of $1.3 billion, and this momentum will continue thanks to the return of another important major international airline.”
Adelaide Airport Managing Director Brenton Cox added that the new service was an “essential link in our network vision” and would help connect communities.
China Southern Airlines Australia and New Zealand Regional General Manager Zhixing Sun said the new service is another step in the carrier’s ongoing internationalisation strategy.
“China Southern Airlines is looking forward to strengthening the cooperation with various sectors in South Australia, continue to expand the ‘Canton Route’, and bring more travellers from China and around the world to South Australia,” he noted.
CZ will also recommence direct flights between Perth and Guangzhou in late November 2024.
