The Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines started direct flights from Perth to Guangzhou and Beijing on Wednesday, initiating the direct air link between the Chinese mainland and Western Australia.

China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in Asia and the fifth-largest in the world, runs A330-300 planes from Perth on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and will continue on from Guangzhou to Beijing in a direct flight.

The Chairman of China Southern Airlines Si Xianmin, who was among passengers aboard the inaugural flight, told Xinhua the new- born airline marks a milestone in China-Australian civil aviation cooperation. He noted that Australia is a key part in China Southern Airlines' internationalization strategy.

According to Si, China Southern runs 35 flights between China and Australia per week and its transportation capacity between the two nations is expected to exceed 100 flights by 2015.