30 January 2018

• Expected to bring in an estimated 14,000 extra Chinese visitors annually
• Sydney now served by eight mainland Chinese airlines

TENS of millions of extra dollars are set to flow into NSW businesses with the launch of Tianjin Airlines’ new Sydney service.

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert today officially welcomed the airline’s new direct service from Zhengzhou, which until this morning was Sydney’s second-largest unserved market in China.

“This is a brilliant result for our state’s tourism industry and for the broader economy,” he said.

“We’re expecting an estimated 14,000 new Chinese visitors each year to take advantage of Tianjin Airlines’ convenient new route into Sydney, where they’ll experience for themselves one of the greatest cities in the world.

“Every single one of these visitors will help support jobs in NSW. This new service means an additional estimated $60 million will be driven into the state’s economy each year.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Tianjin Airlines as our eighth mainland Chinese airline and add Zhengzhou to the growing list of destinations accessible via direct flights.”

China is Sydney’s largest and fastest-growing inbound visitor market.

Sydney Airport has implemented a range of measures to enhance the experience of Chinese passengers, including by becoming the first organisation outside greater China to use Baidu Maps, a popular mobile navigation service.

Tianjin Airlines’ Deputy Chairman Zhao Guoqiang said the service would allow travellers from central China to more easily access Sydney.

“Tianjin Airlines will be the first airline to service the new route from Zhengzhou to Sydney,” he said.

“We hope to provide convenient flight services for people from the central part of China to visit Sydney and Australia.

“We also expect the people of Sydney to enjoy having direct flight access to Zhengzhou, a beautiful city with an extensive and profound history.”

Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Treasurer Jonathan O’Dea MP welcomed the new service and said the NSW Government would be working closely with Tianjin Airlines and travel trade partners to further promote visitation to Sydney and regional NSW.

“It’s fantastic to see the new Zhengzhou-to-Sydney service touch down in NSW today, bringing with it the start of more Chinese visitors exploring our sparkling Harbour City and travelling beyond into our regional and rural destinations,” Mr O’Dea said.

“Through our tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, we look forward to promoting travel to Sydney and NSW with Tianjin Airlines and capitalising on the opportunities presented by this lucrative market.”

Tianjin Airlines will operate the 260-seat Airbus A330-200 on the route.

Zhengzhou is a major transportation hub for central China and coal mining, textiles and various forms of manufacturing play key roles in the local economy.

Flight details for current season (to March 24):

• GS3939 departs Zhengzhou on Monday and Friday at 16:50 and arrives in Sydney at 06:30 the next day
• GS3940 departs Sydney on Tuesday and Saturday at 08:30 and arrives in Zhengzhou at 16:25