China’s largest airline is returning to Christchurch

Wednesday, 1 May 2024

China Southern Airlines has announced it will return to Christchurch from October.

China’s largest carrier will fly non-stop between the South Island and Guangzhou, and the service is being expanded to five times a week for five months.

China Southern began flying into Christchurch in 2015.

Christchurch Airport general manager of aeronautical development, Gordon Beavan, said he hopes the airline will once again fly year-round as it did before the Covid pandemic shut borders.

“We know China’s high value passengers, and those who come from further afield on this direct service, want to experience all the South Island of New Zealand has to offer,” said Beaven.

“One of the aims of this work is to meet increasing interest from China’s travellers to ski here and we hope China Southern will be flying here year-round before much longer,” he says.

China Southern also flies daily into Auckland.

It is the largest airline in China by fleet size, with more than 600 aircraft. It operates a wide range of narrow-body and wide-body jets.