DALLAS — During a press conference yesterday, October 2, 2024, China Southern Airlines (CZ) announced the launch of the first nonstop service connecting Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), the busiest airport in Oceania. 

Operations will officially begin on December 13, 2024, according to SYD. With an initial 10-week season, the airline will fly four times a week between the Chinese and Australian hubs, ensuring greater connectivity between the two continents for both business and leisure customer segment.

According to the CZ statement, flights will be operated with A330s with a configuration of 258 seats in Economy class and 28 seats in Business class. The flights will have the following codes: 

• CZ5025 Beijing Daxing (PKX) - Sidney (SYD)
• CZ5026 Sidney (SYD) - Beijing Daxing (PKX)

New China Southern Routes

China Southern Airlines (CZ) also announced the launch of two more new routes to Australia, reinforcing its market position against its two Chinese competitors: China Eastern Airlines (MU), which has the largest Chinese market share at 31%, and Xiamen Air (MF), which has 10.8%. 

On December 12, 2024, operations will begin connecting Guangzhou (CAN) to Adelaide (ADL) with a frequency of 3 flights per week. On December 14, 2024, operations connecting Beijing (PKK) to Melbourne (MEL) will begin with 3 weekly flights. 

The existing routes connecting China and Australia, operated by China Southern Airlines are: 

• Guangzhou (CAN) - Sydney (SYD)
• Guangzhou (CAN) - Melbourne (MEL)
• Guangzhou (CAN) - Brisbane (BNE)
• Shenzen (SZX) - Sydney (SYD)

Beijing Daxing Airport, the Starfish

This new connection is an important step for PKX, located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei. The nonstop route is the airport's first Oceania destination. 

Beijing Daxing opened in 2019 and was nicknamed the ‘Starfish’ for its architectural conformation. It was built to become a world-class hub and China's largest airport by 2050. 

So far, PKX has handled 127 million passengers and 980,000 flights, serving 195 destinations and more than 216 routes to 25 countries.

China Southern joins Air China (CA) in linking to Australia. CA operates nonstop service between Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and SYD. These flights run four times per week in each direction