Air China announces Beijing-Melbourne route

Air China will launch a new service between Beijing and Melbourne in June. The carrier will roster an A330-200 aircraft onto the route, which will fly four-times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Outbound service CA165 will depart Beijing at 0200 and arrive in Melbourne at 1530 local time, while return service CA166 will leave Melbourne at 2040 and land in Beijing at 0630 the following day. The route begins on June 1, reports airlineroute.net. Air China's B747-8 made its international debut as a daily service between Beijing and New York JFK earlier this month (see news, November 18). airchina.com Graham Smith