Air China is adding a third route from Melbourne with three flights a week to Shenzhen starting on June 20 with Airbus A330-200s.
The new Shenzhen service will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and adds to Air China’s existing three weekly flights from Melbourne to Beijing and four weekly flights from Melbourne to Shanghai.
Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Simon Gandy said he expected nonstop Melbourne-Shenzhen services to be well received by both business and leisure travellers in Australia and China.
“Last year on average 85 Victorians travelled to China for business purposes per day, so we know the route will be in high demand,” Gandy said in a statement.
“The popularity goes both ways as China is currently our largest international inbound market for visitor arrivals.”
Air China general manager Yuanyuan Huang said: “As the national flag carrier of China and the first Chinese airline providing air service between Australia and China, we are committed to the economic development and cultural exchange between our two countries.”
The announcement comes as China Southern prepares to start its own three times weekly Melbourne-Shenzhen nonstop service on June 1, having commenced Sydney-Shenzhen flights in January 2016.
Flight Number/Routing |
Days of operation |
Time of departure |
Time of arrival |
|
CA767 Shenzhen-Melbourne |
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday |
00:55 |
12:00 |
|
CA768 Melbourne-Shenzhen |
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday |
21:00 |
04:25+1 |
