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China Southern Airlines will fly year-round from Perth following the success of its seasonal Guangzhou service.
The carrier, one of China’s “big four”, will fly three times per week between Perth and Guangzhou using 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, providing a total of 85,800 inbound and outbound seats per year. The news comes after the return of its existing seasonal service at the beginning of the month.
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“Not only is this great news for our passengers, it is great news for WA’s economy,” said Perth Airport chief of aviation Kate Holsgrove.
“We value our partnership with China Southern Airlines, and we congratulate the airline for providing a vital connection for people and trade between China and WA.
“China currently represents Western Australia’s fourth largest international market by visitor number with 65,000 visitors in FY2025, injecting $457 million into the economy – so a non-stop connection to China achieves an important objective for Western Australia’s tourism industry.”
According to figures from Tourism WA, Chinese visitors deliver the highest tourism spend in Western Australia, typically staying around seven nights and visiting multiple regions.
“In addition to tourism, direct aviation connections provide a boost across the business, export and education sectors, which provides benefits to the entire Western Australian economy,” Holsgrove said.
“In March this year, Perth Airport signed an important sister airport partnership agreement with Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The agreement includes a commitment to improve passenger flow, enhance cargo movements and facilitate through-check services for passengers.”
China Southern first flew to Perth in 2011 as part of the airline’s “Canton Route” international strategy launched in 2009. Speaking last year, the carrier’s regional general manager for Australia and NZ, Jason Sun, said returning to Perth was important to that strategy.
“In 2019, China Southern Airlines transported 47,900 passengers to Western Australia (Perth),” Sun 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 cooperation 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.”
