Capital Airlines first Qingdao-Sydney direct flight touches down in Sydney

Capital Airlines first Qingdao-Sydney direct flight touches down in Sydney (Photo by Chuyi Sheng, People's Daily Online)

SYDNEY, Oct. 30 (People’s Daily Online) -- On 30 October 2017, Sydney International Airport celebrated its first direct flight between Qingdao and Sydney operated by Capital Airlines. As this year marks China-Australia Year of Tourism, this new route will further deepen the friendly relations between China and Australia and promote the two cities' direct business and tourism cooperation.

Only two months after New South Wales announced its partnership with Capital Airlines, this new service will operate four times a week on an A330-200 aircraft with 222 seats.

“It is against that big backdrop that we gather here to celebrate the opening of the new en route and the more efficient way to bring people together so that we can brainstorm and get down to business to make sure that in each and every area where China and New South Wales, China and Australia have the desire to collaborate, there are opportunities,” said Ms. Wang Hongbo, Commercial Counselor, the Economic and Commercial Section of the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and the Treasurer of NSW, Mr. Jonathan O’Dea, says that this opportunity is both a great win for Sydney’s tourism industry and also a great win for China’s Shandong province.

“With a population of 9 million people, Qingdao is a key growth market for New South Wales, and today’s inaugural service with the Capital Airlines flight arriving more than on time and in great condition will be the first of many flights to come,” said Mr. O’Dea.

Capital Airlines first Qingdao-Sydney direct flight touches down in Sydney (Photo by Chuyi Sheng, People's Daily Online)

The tourism market in Sydney and New South Wales as a whole is booming, and much of that is being driven by China.

Mr. O’Dea is excited to see the many other potential opportunities the new Capital Airlines Service will bring “from what is no doubt [the] most valuable and fastest growing international market”.

Ms Kerrie Mather, Managing Director and CEO of Sydney Airport, believes that this new airline will help boost tourism and business to Sydney. This service is expected to bring 24,000 additional Chinese visitors a year and generate 100 million AU dollars in additional visitor expenditure in New South Wales.

As Sydney is the one of the world’s most famous and beautiful cities, Mr. Qu Tao, Vice President of Capital Airlines said that airline was excited to be launching its new service in such a city.

“Australia is an important inbound source market for Shandong and one of the favourite tourism destinations for many Shandong tourists,” said Mr. Qu.