South Australia to have first direct flight to Chinese mainland in December

Adelaide in South Australia will land the first direct flight from the Chinese mainland in December, as China Southern Airlines inked a deal with the South Australia Tourism Commission recently.

Beginning Dec 12, three weekly flight services will start between Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province and Adelaide, carried out by the airlines' Airbus A330-200.

South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said having a direct flight from China's mainland "will create jobs that extend well beyond Adelaide Airport".

"Three direct flights per week from Chinese mainland to Adelaide would create 135 local jobs, and have flow-on benefits for our hotels, our restaurants and tourism operators across the State," Weatherill said.

Tourism is one of South Australia's key economic drivers, which is why the State government committed $35 million over two years in the 2016/17 State budget, in addition to the $35 million committed over two years in last year's budget.

China is the state's fourth largest tourism market, welcoming 34,000 visitors in the 12 months leading to March 2016, a five-fold growth from a decade ago.