Rewritten by ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
China Southern Airlines is restoring its non-stop Guangzhou-Perth service as of November in a welcome boost for West Australia tourism.
The restoration of the service on November 28 is welcome news for Perth Airport Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove.
“The Chinese visitor market is so valuable for tourism, business, education, and exports,” she said.
Flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, arriving into Perth at 22:10 (WA time), and depart at 23:55 on the airline’s Boeing 787-9. The airport said China is WA’s fourth biggest market with 54,000 visitors in 2023 injecting $230 million into the economy.
“The service will operate three times a week and deliver 86,000 seats and 5000 tonnes of cargo capacity into the Perth market,” she said.
Deputy WA Premier and Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti described news of the service as massive for WA tourism.
“China stands out as one of Western Australia’s premium markets that has historically delivered high visitor numbers and expenditure, so we’d expect this to rise significantly with the resumption of this non-stop service,” she said.
“Of course, this is also a huge win for our local Chinese community in WA and will certainly provide greater connection with family and friends back home.”
China Southern Airlines Regional General Manager Australia & NZ Jason Sun said that in 2009, the airline launched its Canton Route international strategy and that the November 8, 2011, inauguration of the Perth-Guangzhou route was part of that.
“In 2019, China Southern Airlines transported 47,900 passengers to Western Australia (Perth),” he said.
“China Southern Airlines is highly attentive to the recovery of the China-Australia market and the preparations for the resumption of the Perth route in the post-pandemic period.
“With this resumption, China Southern Airlines aims to strengthen the co-operation with the Western Australian government and Perth Airport, continuously enhancing the Canton Route and bringing more passengers from around the world to facilitate China-Australia exchanges.”
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