MELBOURNE, Australia, May 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Air China, the official carrier of the People’s Republic of China, today announced that a direct service between Melbourne and Shenzhen will commence on 20 June, 2017.

The service CA767/768 will operate three times per week on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Currently, Air China operates 3 times weekly service from Melbourne to Beijing and 4 times weekly service between Melbourne and Shanghai.

The new direct route will be operated by Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 30 lie-flat bed business class seats and 207 economy class seats with a generous seat pitch of 32″.

Shenzhen, the fourth biggest city in China, is one of the country’s main economic centres. In 2012, Shenzhen was listed by UK-based “The Economist” news magazine at Number 2 “the Most Competitive Cities in the Globe”. Next to Hong Kong, Shenzhen has the largest advanced manufacturing base in China and it is the headquarters to a number of technology giants.

Air China is the only carrier flying from Australia to provide this direct service, from Shenzhen passengers can connect to over 60 cities in China, Japan & Europe. Air China is the only carrier to provide direct services from Melbourne to three out of four of the Top cities in China.

Air China has been continuing to make investment in the Australia – China aviation market over past three decades. We are committed to a long-term contribution in the community by providing premium service to both business class travelers and the leisure market.

About Air China

Air China, a member of Star Alliance – the world’s largest airline network, is the only national flag carrier of People’s Republic of China.

By March 2017, Air China had a fleet of 590 passenger aircraft and freighters of mainly Boeing and Airbus families (including those of the carriers which Air China has a majority stake in). It operates 395 routes, including 102 international routes, 14 regional routes and 279 domestic routes. It serves 180 cities in 39 countries and regions, including 64 international cities, 3 regional cities and 113 domestic cities. Every week, Air China offers over 1.66 million seats on over 8500 flights per week. Utilizing its extensive route network and its hub in Beijing, especially after its admission to the Star Alliance, Air China can fly passengers to 1,330 airports in 190 countries.

For more information, visit: www.airchina.com.au