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SYDNEY, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- A new direct China Eastern Airlines service from Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province to Australia's Sydney will commence this November, local media reported on Friday.
The three-weekly service, to start on November 16, is the 12th direct flight that connects various Chinese cities to Sydney.
Sydney Airport managing director and chief executive Kerrie Mather said the new service was "fantastic news for the local economy."
The direct flight from Hangzhou was expected to bring 22,000 more Chinese visitors, who will contribute an anticipated 88 million Australian dollars (66.45 million U.S. dollars) in additional visitor expenditure per year, she said.
The service also links to Beijing, giving passengers travelling to the Chinese capital more options.
Mather has described Hangzhou as "one of China's most popular tourist destinations."
New South Wales Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said that in the year ended June 2016, the state had welcomed 639,000 visitors from China, up 21 percent from the previous year.
