Two flights will run between Xiamen and Sydney, departing from Xiamen at 10:30 pm every Wednesday and Saturday, and returning at 12:00 noon every Thursday and Sunday.

Che Shanglun, board chairman and general manager of Xiamen Airlines, said that the new routes will link Fujian and Australia more closely, offer convenience to Fujianese in Australia returning home, and enhance business and cultural exchanges between the cities involved.

Furthermore, Xiamen Airlines has launched a public welfare program by investing more than 10 million yuan ($1.57 million) in financial support for Chinese youth with Australian working holiday visas, in a bid to encourage Sino-Australian communication.

The two new routes are part of Xiamen Airlines' efforts to expand its global market. In July, it launched its first intercontinental route linking Xiamen and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In 2016, it will open more non-stop international routes to Melbourne, Vancouver and New York.

Xiamen Airlines now has six Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners serving the international routes, and it plans to add more advanced Boeing 787-9s for future such flights.

Air hostesses of Xiamen Airlines present an art performance to celebrate the opening of the Fuzhou-Sydney route on Nov 29, 2015. [Photo by Yang Jie/chinadaily.com.cn]