Shenzhen Airlines will launch a nonstop service between Shenzhen and Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 22. Tickets are now available for purchase. 

The outbound flight, ZH811, will operate Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, departing Shenzhen at 11:55 p.m. and arriving in Melbourne at 1 p.m. local time the next day. The return service, ZH812, will run Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, leaving Melbourne at 10:15 p.m. local time and landing in Shenzhen at 5 a.m. Beijing time the following day.

The new route will shorten travel time between the two cities and is expected to boost economic, academic, cultural, and tourism exchanges between the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and Australia, according to the airline.

Shenzhen Airlines now operates 19 international flight routes from Shenzhen. The Shenzhen–Melbourne route will be the third nonstop route from Shenzhen to Oceania after Sydney and Auckland, making Shenzhen the ninth city on the mainland with direct flights to Melbourne.