Freight exports of premium Victorian food and fibre products are set to soar, with Air China today revealing it will increase services to include daily direct flights to China with the introduction of an increase its four-times per week Beijing-Melbourne service to a daily service, this comes into effect from 25th of October 2015.
“These new daily flights between Melbourne and Beijing will create opportunities for both our tourism sector and Victorian producers.” Premier Daniel Andrews commented “Bringing more Chinese visitors to our state and boosting air freight capacity means more jobs for Victoria.”
Premier Andrews explained that the state’s tourism sector will benefit significantly from the additional number of available seats directly to and from China – Victoria’s number one tourism market. In the year ending June 2015, Victoria welcomed more than 439,000 Chinese visitors, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 23 per cent and contributing $1.76 billion to the state’s economy.
Premier Daniels pointed that over the past five years to March 2015, the growth in the number of flights between China and Melbourne has also led to a 220 per cent increase in direct air freight to and from China. Around 80 per cent of freight moved through Melbourne Airport goes out on passenger aircraft.
Premier Daniels went on to explain that China is Victoria’s number one food and fibre export market, accounting for 24 per cent of all the state’s food and fibre exports. Daniels went on to add that Victoria’s food and fibre exports to China grew five per cent in 2014-15 to be worth $2.8 billion. Victorian air freight of food and fibre products is accelerating as Chinese demand for premium, safe, high value agri-food products grows. Victoria’s food and fibre exports to China via air freight in 2014-15 were worth $97 million, up 322 per cent on the previous year.