SHENZHEN Airlines will launch a Shenzhen-Melbourne route — its first-ever direct flight to Australia — on Dec. 22 as part of the winter-spring flight schedule.

The service will use the Airbus A330, with three flights per week. Departure flight ZH811 will leave Shenzhen at 11:55 p.m. every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, arriving in Melbourne at 1 p.m. local time the following day. Return flight ZH812 will depart Melbourne at 10:15 p.m. local time every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, landing in Shenzhen at 5 a.m. Beijing time the next day.

To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering limited-time promotional fares starting at 2,200 yuan (US$309) for a one-way ticket and a minimum of 2,390 yuan for a round-trip (taxes not included).

This service will become Shenzhen Airlines’ third direct flight route from Shenzhen to Oceania, following existing services to Sydney and Auckland. With this addition, Shenzhen will become the ninth Chinese city with non-stop flights to Melbourne.

In a separate expansion of its international network, the airline will launch a direct route to Haiphong, Vietnam, on Nov. 1. Flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Outbound flight ZH125 will depart Shenzhen at 3:40 p.m. and arrive in Haiphong at 4:50 p.m., with the return flight leaving Haiphong at 5:50 p.m. and arriving in Shenzhen at 8:50 p.m.                             (Han Ximin)