China Southern seeks to expand in Australia; Cairns on radar

China Southern Airlines on 03-Nov-2010 met with Tourism Tropical North Queensland and a delegation of Cairns business leaders raising speculation the carrier could commence direct services to Cairns (The Cairns Post, 04-Nov-2010). Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chairman Bill Calderwood said: "Cairns is certainly on the radar. They do intend to come here." The carrier has however not yet made a firm committment or provided a timeframe for the potential service launch. Mr Calderwood added that China Southern plans to expand in Australia, adding: "They want to expand as quickly as possible. Their ambition is to increase capacity and start new routes."