[Photo/Xinhua]

"In the year ending June 2016, New South Wales welcomed almost 640,000 people from China and they spent some 2.1 billion Australian dollars in our local economy, which is very welcomed. The partnership with Air China will help continue to grow that, for our local economy, and likewise, we will look forward to sending more people to Chengdu and China," NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Major Events and Tourism Jonathan O'Dea said.

The managing director of Air China's Southwest Branch Liu Yong said the Chengdu-Sydney flight will establish a new "bridge in the sky" to help boost economic, trade and cultural exchanges.

"The weather forecast said there'd be rain, but it turned out to be nice and sunny, a very smooth first flight. It's a good sign for our new link and I'm confident of it," Liu said.

"Chinese nationals continue to be our largest foreign contributor in inbound passengers and this new service will drive further demand," Mather said.