Melbourne Airport mulls more flights

Melbourne Airport in Australia considers China as one of the most important markets and looks forward to opening more direct flight routes to Chinese cities through cooperation with Chinese airports and airlines, its top executive said on Monday.

Lorie Argus, CEO of Melbourne Airport, made the remarks during her visit to Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Argus said this is her first time leading a delegation to China, and Chengdu is the first stop of her China visit, to be followed by Beijing and Shanghai.

She said Melbourne Airport aims to collaborate with Chinese partners to advance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, as outlined in the joint statement on the outcomes of the 9th China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting in June.

During her China visit, Argus and her delegation will meet with officials of government departments, airports, airlines and travel agencies, to enhance cooperation and build bonds through intercultural communication, she said.

"Choosing Chengdu as the first stop holds great significance for us, since Melbourne Airport has established a sister airport relationship with Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport for 12 years," Argus said.

In March, Chengdu and Melbourne officially established a friendly cooperation relationship, which further strengthens their bonds, she said.

Argus further said Melbourne and Chengdu are both renowned as livable cities and share many similarities, offering great opportunities for exchanges and cooperation in areas like culture, tourism, cuisine, music and art.

Meaghan Shaw, Australia's consul-general in Chengdu, said in addition to the relationships between Melbourne and Chengdu, as well as their airports, Sichuan and Australia's Victoria State have also enjoyed a sister state relationship for nearly 10 years.

"Those relationships are very much valued by both sides," she said, noting that the Australia consulate general in Chengdu is keen to further strengthen the communication between the two countries.

Gao Pengsong, an executive responsible for international and regional air route management at Sichuan Airlines, said there has been a surge in demand for travel to Australia since 2023 and the passenger load factor on flights between Chengdu and Melbourne has seen significant increase.

Currently, Sichuan Airlines operates five direct flights a week from Chengdu to Melbourne, with a one-way trip taking about 10 hours.

"The air routes between Chengdu and Australia have become even busier especially since this summer, as the two countries strengthen cooperation in trade, culture and tourism," he said.

With the continuous increase in passenger traffic, Sichuan Airlines will increase the frequency of its direct flights to Australia, Gao said.