CHINA Southern Airlines will open a direct flight from Shenzhen to Melbourne on June 1.

This will be the second air route from Shenzhen to Australia operated by the airline, following its route to Sydney.

The flight will operate every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. CZ3073 will leave Shenzhen at 7:05 p.m. and arrive in Melbourne at 6:20 a.m. the following day. The return flight, CZ3074, will leave at 8 a.m. and arrive in Shenzhen at 3:35 p.m. the following day.

The airline is offering a big promotion, charging only 100 yuan (US$14.56) for a round-trip ticket for travelers taking flights to Melbourne on June 1, June 8 and June 10 and returning from Sydney on June 8, June 15 and June 17.

By the end of 2016, China Southern Airlines had opened seven routes to cities in Oceania, including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Auckland, Christchurch and Adelaide. It operates nearly 70 flights a week. (Han Ximin)