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Transport Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the Australian and Chinese governments have agreed to allow more airline services between the two countries to cater for expected higher demand in November and the end of February.
Under new arrangements, the number of weekly services between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth and Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Huangzhou will be boosted from 37 to 59 services per week between November and the end of February. This will enable Air China, China Southern and China Eastern to increase their services to Australia over that period, while Hainan Airlines is currently awaiting regulatory approval to introduce nonstop flights from Shenzhen to Sydney.
Minister Albanese noted that the new air services agreement with China was an important marker on the journey towards a more liberal international aviation market, which is a key part of the government’s aviation policy. “Going forward the Gillard Labor government remains committed to the ultimate objective of an ‘open skies’ agreement with China which would remove most – if not all – of the existing limitations on Australian and Chinese airlines operating between our two countries,” he said.
