A direct service linking Chengdu, the capital of Sichuang province, China, and Melbourne, the second largest city of Australia, is expected to open within this year, reported by Chengdu Daily.

On April 13, 2012, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Co., Ltd. and Australia's Melbourne Airport Co., Ltd. officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on establishing  "Sister Airports" partnership.

The two sides will cooperate on several fields to promote the opening of direct flights between the two cities. It is reported that the two sides have reached cooperative intention on launching the direct Chengdu-Melbourne flight. People in Chengdu are expected to travel directly to Melbourne within this year at the earliest.

Exchange and Cooperation Sped Up

It is reported that the signing of the MOU will help speed up the exchange and cooperation between the two airports. The two sides will cooperate on routes development, airport operation, airport planning and development, the best retail practice, as well as service quality, in order to promote the opening of the Chengdu-Melbourne service.

The two sides will also sign a cooperation framework agreement during Routes Asia from April 15-17, when Victoria government and the Australian Tourist Commission will send delegates to attend the signing ceremony. According to an executive of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, the direct Chengdu-Melbourne service is expected to be realized within this year at the earliest.

At present, Chengdu, along with other regions in western China, has not opened direct flights to Australia yet, so passengers have to transfer via Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Hong Kong when traveling to Australia. The expected direct flight will save much time for passengers as they need not to transfer via a third place.

Chengdu Targeting the Fourth Largest National Aviation Hub

It is understood that the cooperation with Melbourne Airport makes Chengdu the first western city in China expanding its airline network to Australia, and it's also very important for Chengdu, a city linking many destinations in Europe, Middle East and Asia, to establish itself as the fourth largest "national aviation hub".