Australia's airline Qantas to return to Beijing with new route

Australia's national airline Qantas will recommence flights between Sydney and Beijing early next year, in an attempt to "tap into the exceptional growth" in the Australia-China travel market, the airline's CEO confirmed on Thursday.

Beginning on Jan. 25, 2017, the new daily route will be served by an Airbus A330 aircraft, and has been timed so that travelers from China can seamlessly connect with domestic services within Australia.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the new Sydney-Beijing route would create additional 3,300 seats a week between Australia and China, and would help the company take advantage of the "surging demand" for seats to Australia.

"The tourism industry in Australia is very excited about what the Chinese market will deliver over the next few years, especially given it's already become our second biggest source of visitors after New Zealand," Joyce said in a statement released on Thursday.

"Australia is now at the top of the wish list for Chinese travelers thinking about where they want to go next. There are 21 million people in Beijing alone and from the start of next year they will be just one Qantas flight away. The potential is tremendous."

Joyce said the formation of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has opened up many opportunities to take on additional freight as well as business travelers seeking to gain a foothold in the Sino-Australian market.

"The business travel market is another key focus for this route, particularly off the back of the free trade agreement with China, which is increasing the amount of freight we're carrying," Joyce said.

"We'll be ramping up the work we're already doing with the state tourism bodies and Tourism Australia on marketing campaigns in China to make sure we make the most of this potential. Our pitch is that if you want to experience the best of Australia, your trip should start with the national carrier."

The route commences, from Sydney, on Jan.25, 2017. Enditem