Direct flights between Perth and Chinese city of Guangzhou resume

Direct flights between WA and mainland China have restarted. China Southern’s direct flights between Perth and the sprawling southern Chinese city of Guangzhou resume Thursday night. The flights will run three times a week on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, delivering an additional 780 inbound seats to WA each week. Tourism Council WA chair and former Perth Airport boss Kate Holsgrove said a seasonal link to Shanghai would also resume in 2025. Ms Holsgrove said the State was also working on other Chinese direct flights, including to Beijing. The Guangzhou is set to be a boon to WA’s export industries. “Fresh produce is a key export from Western Australia into China, and the direct services make that even easier to get freight out into China,” Ms Holsgrove said. Since COVID, 20 direct links internationally have either been restarted or established for the first time. Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said China was WA’s biggest tourism market by visitor spend. “The Chinese visitor loves the WA experience — the ability to visit Rottnest, to eat fresh crayfish in the back of the boat,” Ms Saffioti said. “We want to continue to work with the Chinese community, but also the Chinese wholesalers in China, to make sure we can continue to target the Chinese visitor and make sure we can deliver an incredible experience with them.”