Hainan Airlines Launches Non-stop Service from Changsha, China to Sydney, Australia

SYDNEY, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today a Hainan Airlines Airbus A330 set off from China's Changsha Huanghua International Airport and successfully touched down at Sydney Kingford Smith Airport after ten hours in the air. The aircraft flew over the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, before landing. The flight formally launched Hainan Air's non-stop service between Changsha and Sydney, adding another spoke to the airline's intercontinental route network, and enhancing flight options for its international travelers.

With the signing of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) on June 17, 2015, the Australian government extended the validity of multiple-entry visas for Chinese citizens from three years to 10, becoming the fourth country to offer Chinese citizens the ten-year multiple entry document. The loosened visa rules makes it easier for Chinese tourists who would like to visit the "Land Down Under", saving valuable time in preparing for the trip. The opening of the Changsha-Sydney route is likely to bring more Chinese investors to Australia as well as make the trip more convenient for business executives, students studying abroad and anyone travelling between the two countries.

Hainan Airlines has added four international routes - Changsha-Los Angeles, Beijing-Tel Aviv, Beijing-Manchester and Beijing-Calgary - so far this year. After launching the Changsha-Sydney flight, the airline plans to add Xi'an-Sydney and Xi'an-Changsha routes. The airline's international business has grown rapidly, with significant annual increases in revenue. Hainan Airlines currently operates a wide array of intercontinental flight routes, and when this network is coupled with the airline's extensive list of destinations within China, as well as the multiplicity of destinations across Australia as a result of cooperation with local carriers, a wide choice of options becomes available to anyone travelling between the two countries.

Hainan Airlines has safely operated its fleet for 23 years and its flights have logged over 5 million hours. The airline was ranked fifth in Airline Safety for 2016 by JACDEC, a German airline safety data evaluation firm, and has been named a 5-star airline by Skytrax six years in a row. The airline's high-quality services are acclaimed by both domestic and overseas travelers.

Hainan Airlines' Changsha-Sydney flight schedule (Note: All takeoff and landing times are local.)