Fresh from securing a major deal with Singapore Airlines for international flights to Canberra, Chief Minister Andrew Barr has begun a medium-term strategy to woo Chinese carriers and see daily services to and from Asia.
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In the final days of a trade mission to Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Mr Barr will meet with representatives from China Eastern Airlines, introductions to start what could be a five year process of negotiations.
The approach follows a previous meeting with China Southern but Mr Barr said the government's main focus was strengthening ties with Singapore Airlines and driving tourism through the massive Changi Airport, which hosts more than 50 million passengers a year.
Singapore will begin four services a week to Canberra in September, landing on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. In a code sharing deal with Virgin Australia, the airline will link the New Zealand capital Wellington with Canberra and Singapore.
Direct international flights were a 2012 election commitment from ACT Labor, and Mr Barr said he hoped Singapore would move to daily flights in the future. Passengers will fly on one of nine retro-fitted Boeing 777-200s and have access to a new lounge at Canberra Airport.
"I will be taking the opportunity to meet with a number of airlines to begin what will be a medium term proposition in terms of adding to the number of airlines that fly into Canberra," Mr Barr said in Singapore.
"Experience with our partnership with Singapore Airlines is that you need firstly to introduce yourself, your city and your proposition. These sorts of exercises are four or five years from the commencement of that through to fruition in terms of an outcome.
"Chinese tourism is now the number one inbound market into the ACT. About 32,000 annually, so we're talking about 600 to 700 a week. That market needs really to double in size before you would see it being viable for new services directly into Canberra out of China."
International Visitor Survey data from Tourism Research Australia shows Canberra has a 16.5 per cent market share from China.
Mr Barr said new generation aircraft carrying about 250 passengers could make flights from China to Canberra a reality.
"In the next four to five years there will be a particularly strong focus working with Singapore Airlines on bringing Chinese tourists to Canberra via Singapore.
"In the longer term, we certainly have aspirations for Canberra Airport to have more than one international provider ... the success of this stage, growing that from beyond four services a week to a daily service, that would be the goal for the next four to five years."
International visitors to Canberra contributed $394 million to the ACT's economy in 2015 and the government is also seeking to build freight traffic to the airport.
"We're making those first important approaches, but I do need to stress that this is a medium term proposition," Mr Barr said.
"I would have no expectation of these Chinese airlines flying to Canberra before the next four or five years."
In Hong Kong, ACT government officials and Mr Barr will hold meetings with major hotel companies about sites soon to be on the market in the ACT, including the Peninsula site at Kingston Foreshore and those in the City to the Lake development plan.
Some sites will be listed for sale in May and June.
Mr Barr is due to arrive back in Canberra on Wednesday.
The journalist travelled to Singapore as a guest of Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board.
