Qantas customers will have greater travel options between Australia and China than ever before, with new codeshare services now available for sale.

From today, Qantas customers can book and travel on China Southern services to four destinations within China. Qantas codeshare on direct services from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Guangzhou – China’s third largest city and its biggest transport hub – will be available for booking 10 April and travel from 1 May.

In turn, China Southern customers can book travel on nine routes across the Qantas Domestic network, as well as on services between Sydney and Auckland, for travel from today.

Qantas and China Southern signed their reciprocal codeshare agreement in Guangzhou last December.

Qantas International CEO Simon Hickey said the new codeshare services deliver on the airline’s commitment to creating the best options for customers travelling between Australia and Asia.

“By expanding its network in partnership with China Southern, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, Qantas is pleased to add more destinations to the map and simplify the journey for the increasing number of Qantas customers travelling to China,” Mr Hickey said.

“Our expanding network in China is also great news for Australian tourism, with China Southern customers now able to book on nine routes across the Qantas domestic network including major gateways as well as regional cities such as Cairns and Coolangatta.

“Partnerships are at the core of our strategy in Asia and together with our airline partners, we’re pleased to now offer customers access to 179 flights to 12 cities in Asia each week, with fares available to over 120 additional Asian cities.

“The Qantas Group has never had a stronger presence in Asia. More than one sixth of our total revenue now comes from flights to and within the region, and we plan to keep opening up new travel opportunities,” added Mr Hickey.

China Southern General Manager Australia/New Zealand Henry He said the partnership would be welcomed around Australia because it would open up more of the country to tourists from China.

“The agreement also means that Qantas passengers can fly with China Southern to such exciting Chinese regional cities as Xiamen, Kunming, Fuzhou and Ürümqi from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth over our main hub of Guangzhou – formerly Canton – in Southern China,” Mr He said.

Qantas customers will have the ability to earn Qantas Points when they travel on Qantas codeshare flights operated by China Southern Airlines. Customers can book the new codeshare services on qantas.com or through Travel Agents.

The launch of the new codeshare services follows other initiatives which deliver on Qantas’ broader commitment to Asia, including the opening of the new Qantas Hong Kong Lounge, and major upgrade of the A330 fleet, to be deployed on key Asian routes from the end of year.