More options are now available for Aussie air travelers with the entry of China Southern Airlines into Australian skies. The air carrier made its maiden flight which arrived Wednesday morning in Perth.

On board the plane was China Southern Chairman Si Xianmin. He and the Chinese delegation were welcomed by West Australia Premier Colin Barnett and Tourism Minister Kin Harnes.

The A330-300 jet touched down in Western Australia at 9:30 a.m. The regular trips would be every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday coming from Beijing and Guangzhou.

Mr Si said China Southern Airlines plans to have 110 flights weekly between Australia and mainland China by 2015. Besides Perth, the air carrier already provides air services between Chinese cities and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

"China Southern is unswervingly pushing forward in the process of internationalisation and our Australian strategy is key to this development," Mr Si said.

He said the air carrier aims to increase the number of Chinese tourists to Western Australia to 100,000 by 2020 from the current 15,000 yearly through direct flights. With the direct flight, it would only take eight hours to reach Perth from Guangzhou which is China's third largest city.

Besides now flying directly to Perth, China Southern opened in 1993 its Flying College campuses at Jandakot and Merredin in Western Australia.

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