The new services will provide trade opportunities, create jobs for Victorians and attract more visitors to the state.

Melbourne Airport is now connected to eight cities in mainland China, a nation whose visitation expenditure in Victoria is larger than the next six markets combined.

Under the Andrews Labor Government, the number of international carriers servicing Melbourne Airport has jumped from 24 to 31. That’s nearly 300 extra direct international flights each month.

Hainan Airlines will operate two weekly return flights between Melbourne and Xian and two between Melbourne and Changsha. The A330 aircrafts have seating capacity of 250, equating to 26,000 seats per city each year.

Our visitors from China will attend regional attractions such as Sovereign Hill and the Phillip Island Nature Park, keep our bars and hotels full, our small businesses busy and our economy strong – and that creates jobs for Victorians.

Hainan Airlines is China’s fourth-largest carrier. A fleet of 160 aircraft services nearly 100 cities throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

Melbourne Airport is Australia’s only major airport operating 24 hours a day without any curfews. It’s just one of the reasons 34 million people passed through the terminals last year, including 1.15 million visitors from Asia.

More than 500,000 visitors from China spent $2.25 billion in Victoria in the year ending June 2016.