First Air China flight from Beijing to Brisbane lands safely

SYDNEY — The first Air China flight from Beijing to Brisbane has landed safely on Monday afternoon, with the new route set to be a huge boon for the Australian State of Queensland.

The 12 and a half hours flight will operate four times per week between the two cities and is expected to add a further A$191 million ($143.69 million) to the State's economy every year.

Queensland Minister for tourism Kate Jones said in a statement that the extra 170,000 visitors brought by these flights over the next four years will help grow tourism across the state and provide much needed jobs for the industry.

"China is Queensland's largest international market, generating close to a fifth of Queensland's total tourism expenditure," she said.

"With visitors spending more than A$1 billion ($752 million) over the past year," she said.

Although the state is home to some of the country's most popular and stunning tourist attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Gold Coast and the Whitsundays, a direct air service from Beijing to Brisbane has been considered somewhat of a "missing link" for market.

"Securing flights from China's capital city for the first time is a big coup for Queensland, opening up new opportunities to tap into this valuable market," Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

"This also enables Chinese tourists to choose Brisbane as their entry point to Australia while also providing easy access to many of our other destinations in Queensland."

"We know the best way to grow tourism in Queensland is to secure more direct international flights."

Air China operates over 40 flights per week between Australia and China.