China Southern Boeing 787 Dreamliners Headed For West Australia

When China reopened its borders last year, there was still some hesitation for Chinese travelers to leave their own country, with many preferring to travel domestically to spend their vacations with family and friends or to see more of what their vast nation offers.

Another Chinese carrier returns to Perth

While not Australia’s largest source of inbound tourists, Chinese travelers are the highest per capita spenders, so there has been an endless chase by airports and tourism agencies to encourage the leading carriers to resume the air services suspended during the pandemic.

Today, West Australia’s Perth Airport (PER) announced that China Southern Airlines will resume non-stop flights from Guangzhou on November 28, 2024, a route initially launched in 2011. China is Western Australia’s fourth biggest market, with 54,000 visitors injecting AU$230 million ($152m) into the economy last year.

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Perth Airport Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove said the non-stop flights will have a positive impact on visitor numbers, adding:

“The Chinese visitor market is so valuable for tourism, business, education and exports. The return of this service is a result of a significant amount of work in partnership with Tourism WA and [the] State Government, and we look forward to further developing our partnership with China Southern Airlines.”

In a similar vein to Queensland’s Brisbane Airport, Perth Airport is a major logistical hub for exports of high-value and time-sensitive fresh produce, meat and seafood. With China being a significant export market, the additional freight capacity of 5,000 tonnes in the belly of China Southern Airlines (China Southern) aircraft means the resumption of flights is a win-win for West Australia tourism and its local producers.

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The service will operate three times weekly, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) and Perth Airport, delivering 86,000 seats to the West Australian market. China Southern will be using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route, arriving in Perth at 22:10 and heading back to Guangzhou at 23:55.

A big fleet to choose from

According to planespotters.net, the airline has a fleet of 658 aircraft, including 111 widebody jets. The medium and long-haul jets include 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 32 777s, plus 31 Airbus A330s and 20 A350s. Most of the fleet are single-aisle aircraft, including 316 Airbus A320 Family, 205 Boeing 737s, and 26 locally made COMAC ARJ21 regional jets.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

In 2009, China Southern launched the ‘Canton Route’ international strategy, and on November 8, 2011, it started flights on the Perth-Guangzhou route. This route gave passengers convenient transfers through the Guangzhou hub to destinations in China and globally. In pre-pandemic 2019, the airline carried 47,900 passengers to Perth, and today, Regional GM Australia and New Zealand Jason Sun said the airline is “highly attentive” to the recovery of the China-Australian market.

The route will also boost outbound tourism, either to the south of China or beyond, and give West Australians another route to Asia, Europe and the Middle East. This is a significant win for Perth Airport, which has already resumed several international services and is setting itself up well for a successful 2024.

Have you flown from Perth Airport? Let us know about it in the comments section.