PERTH, Australia—Perth Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International have signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to drive connectivity and passenger volume between the two airports' catchment areas.
The deal was announced here in Perth on the sidelines of Routes Asia 2025. Sister airport agreements usually see parties promote best commercial and operational practices and link up on marketing.
Zhu Qianhong, managing director of the Guangdong Airport Authority, says that the agreement seeks to “open the area lifeline between the China’s Greater Bay Area and Western Australia, by increasing passenger flow frequencies and enhancing cargo movements, such as Australian seafood to China and Chinese-made goods to Western Australia.”
Guangzhou Baiyun will also offer through-check services for passengers flying from Perth to Guangzhou and from other points in China.
China Southern Airlines currently flies a seasonal schedule between Perth and Guangzhou. Qi Yaoming, executive vice president of Guangzhou Baiyun, hopes the airline will resume regular flights year-round, and is optimistic that they will begin at some point in the 2025 second half.
“We're committed to a long-term relationship, and we're going to work with our airline partners. We're going to look and try and find ways to get the settings right,” Perth Airport CEO Jason Waters says. He would also like to see Perth-China connectivity return to pre-pandemic levels.
“We got to build the linkages. You've got to think, market and innovate together as to how we create the settings to reestablish [the network]. My view is, once we do that, the word will get out both ways,” Waters says. He adds that he has received positive feedback on Perth’s seasonal services to Shanghai, operated by China Southern and China Eastern airlines.
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