Cultural route

Beijing Capital Airlines launches Melbourne to Hangzhou, China.

25 June 2024

Beijing Capital Airlines heralded its latest adventure – a new air route from Hangzhou to Melbourne.

The inaugural flight was feted with at the Yugen Tea Bar in South Yarra. The plane, an Airbus A330 (a majestic bird of the skies), touched down in Melbourne at the ungodly hour of 5 am, disgorging 264 bleary-eyed souls who’d likely never been so thrilled to see a coffee bean in their lives.

The return flight winged its way back to Hangzhou at 7 am, presumably with the same eager anticipation for tea.

Labelling this venture a mere flight route would be a dire understatement. It’s a cultural bridging of hemispheres – Australia’s coffee capital shaking hands with China’s tea capital.

The service, thrice weekly, complements Beijing Capital’s existing Qingdao frolics and swells the number of non-stop destinations from Melbourne to mainland China to eight, restoring the Chinese market capacity to a near-pre-pandemic 91 percent.

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang, located in the northeastern part of the province.

Known as 'the House of Silk', the city was one of the seven ancient capitals of China.

Being the previous capital and thousands of years old, there are many historic marvels to visit.

Hangzhou is considered a more authentic Chinese city to visit.

Beautiful landscapes and marvellous food await in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou's climate is humid subtropical with beautiful lakes and waterways.

Lorie Argus, Melbourne Airport’s CEO, couldn’t resist detailing the monumental impact of this aerial liaison. “With Hangzhou housing some 11 million souls – twice the hustle of Melbourne and steeped in tea lore – our local markets are set to burgeon,” she declared.

Apparently, a single international flight daily can pour a cool $154 million into Victoria’s coffers, a fact that promises to keep the state’s restaurants bustling, shops bustling and farmers blissfully busy.

As if to underscore the magnitude of the economic and cultural exchanges bolstering between China and Australia, a spokesperson from Beijing Capital Airlines waxed eloquent about the importance of Melbourne as their pioneering intercontinental gambit down under.

It marks their third such endeavour within the Land of Oz, heralding an era of sustained commitment to fomenting ties hefty enough to make any economic minister blush.

In this choreographed dance of diplomacy and commerce, it’s clear that both the leaf and the bean will have their day under the sun, each sipped and savoured by a populace eager to gulp down the benefits of this most caffeinated and steeped connection.

firstclassmagazine.co

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