SICHUAN Airlines will begin thrice-weekly flights between Melbourne and Chengdu on February 28, marking the first direct flights between Australia and western China.
Using Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, it will provide an additional 76,440 seats every year.
Melbourne Airport CEO, Chris Woodruff, said: “The commencement of Sichuan Airlines’ flights follows the signing of a sister-airport agreement between Melbourne Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport last year, in which we committed to strengthening the relationship between our airports as well as securing more direct flights between our respective regions.
“Visitors from China will no longer have to transit through other cities en route to Australia, providing Melbourne and Victoria with a unique advantage for visitors from Sichuan and western China.”
Sichuan Airlines had started selling tickets for the new Chengdu-Melbourne service using the imagery of fairy penguins on Phillip Island, Woodruff added.
