Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport in Southwest China Guizhou province launched its first direct flight to Melbourne, Australia on June 11.

The launching ceremony of the Guiyang-Melbourne flight at Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport. [Photo/gog.cn]

Due to the convenience of the flight, passengers in Guizhou no longer need to transfer to other cities such as Beijing, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou to go to Australia, which also meant that trips took at least 20 hours. The flight time has been reduced to only about 10 hours through the direct flight.

The Chengdu-Guiyang-Melbourne flight adopts an A330 airplane, which will take off every Wednesday. The flight number of 3U8417 will depart for Melbourne at 1 am and its return flight 3U8418 will start its departure at 9:20 pm in Melbourne.

To celebrate the new direct flight, passengers can initially enjoy the preferential flight fare of 700 yuan ($101.17) for a one way trip and 1,000 yuan for a return trip. Note, the special fares do not include taxes.

A view of the airplane interior of the Guiyang-Melbourne flight. [Photo/gog.cn]

Statistics show that Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport had 207 airlines as of May, including 22 international ones offering flights to 21 cities outside of China, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Moscow, Milan, and Paris.

The Guiyang-Melbourne flight is the first one for Guiyang to Oceania, and the Guiyang airport plans to open more flights to Sydney, London, and Delhi in the future.

The Guiyang-Melbourne flight is operated by an A330 airplane. [Photo/gog.cn]