China Southern Commences 787 Operations to Perth and Plans Frequency Boost to WA

Perth Airport has welcomed the arrival of its fourth Boeing 787 operator with a traditional water cannon salute.

China Southern flight CZ319 touched down in the West Australian capital at 5:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday after an seven hour and 21 minute trip from the airline's Guangzhou hub.

It was the Chinese flag carrier's first 787 service to an Australian destination. China Southern has 10 787-8s in its fleet.

The aircraft, 787-8 (Registration B-2732), was on the ground for about two hours and 45 minutes before operating the reciprocal CZ320 to Guangzhou.

The airline on Wednesday confirmed it would increase its frequency to Perth to four flights a week from July 16, 2015, from three weekly flights currently. China Southern is the only carrier offering direct flights from Perth to mainland China.

"The upgrade to the B787 Dreamliner will provide even further capacity for business and leisure travellers to fly direct from Perth to Guangzhou and connect to over 160 domestic destinations within China and beyond," China Southern regional managing director for Australia and New Zealand Louis Lu said in a statement.

Perth Airport has already welcomed Air New Zealand, Thai Airways and Scoot as airlines with service to the West Australian capital using the new generation aircraft.

Australian Aviation