China Southern Airlines announced on 19 December that its Guangzhou–Adelaide service will shift from a seasonal winter schedule to year-round operation. From April 2026 the carrier will add a fourth weekly rotation, operated by a Boeing 787-8, on top of the three peak-season flights that currently run December–March.
The move reflects strong recovery in the South Australian inbound market: Chinese visitors spent A$305 million in the state in the year to September 2025, up 31 % on 2024. Each flight will also carry up to 15 tonnes of premium South Australian exports—chiefly seafood and wine—leveraging Guangzhou’s role as a distribution hub to more than 220 onward destinations.
![China Southern makes Guangzhou–Adelaide link year-round, boosting trade and inbound tourism]()
Travelers hoping to capitalize on these enhanced connections should note that most nationalities still require a visa to enter China; VisaHQ’s streamlined online portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides up-to-date guidance, courier support, and real-time tracking to simplify the application process for both leisure and business passengers.
State Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison called the decision “a confidence vote in Adelaide’s global connectivity,” while Trade Minister Joe Szakacs highlighted that exports to China have risen 82 % since 2022 despite broader bilateral trade tensions. Adelaide Airport, which has recently regained long-haul services from United, Qatar Airways and Emirates, expects the extra capacity to push total international seat numbers back above 2019 levels by mid-2026.
For mobility managers, the new flights create a one-stop option into secondary Chinese cities via Guangzhou and provide more freight capacity for time-sensitive project cargo moving between Australia and China’s manufacturing belt.
The move reflects strong recovery in the South Australian inbound market: Chinese visitors spent A$305 million in the state in the year to September 2025, up 31 % on 2024. Each flight will also carry up to 15 tonnes of premium South Australian exports—chiefly seafood and wine—leveraging Guangzhou’s role as a distribution hub to more than 220 onward destinations.
Travelers hoping to capitalize on these enhanced connections should note that most nationalities still require a visa to enter China; VisaHQ’s streamlined online portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides up-to-date guidance, courier support, and real-time tracking to simplify the application process for both leisure and business passengers.
State Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison called the decision “a confidence vote in Adelaide’s global connectivity,” while Trade Minister Joe Szakacs highlighted that exports to China have risen 82 % since 2022 despite broader bilateral trade tensions. Adelaide Airport, which has recently regained long-haul services from United, Qatar Airways and Emirates, expects the extra capacity to push total international seat numbers back above 2019 levels by mid-2026.
For mobility managers, the new flights create a one-stop option into secondary Chinese cities via Guangzhou and provide more freight capacity for time-sensitive project cargo moving between Australia and China’s manufacturing belt.
