All passengers on board Singapore Airlines' first international flights to Canberra in more than a decade were part of a significant day, but it was extra special for some.
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Canberra-based Iraqi refugee Immir Saleem was reunited with three family members who had travelled through Jordan and Singapore to call the Australian capital home.
Coincidentally, the last leg of their journey was flight SQ291, Singapore Airline's first Capital Express flight to arrive at Canberra International Airport.
After receiving flowers at the gate like all passengers on board the inaugural trip on Wednesday, they got some extra bunches from their excited friends and family.
"About 15 of us have moved here from Iraq, but waited a long time in Jordan for our visas," Mr Saleem said.
"Some of us came last year, some last month, some today. It's good to be together."
About a third of the some 260-passengers on the Singapore-Canberra flight were Chinese, according to Canberra Airport owner Terry Snow, who caught the flight.
He said he was surprised by the figure, but it was wonderful that so many had taken the opportunity to visit Canberra.
Sydney-based freelance tourist guide Aki Wang was fast to take advantage of Canberra's new links to Asia. He said he was taking ten chinese tourists, who had flown to Canberra via Singapore, sightseeing in Canberra before moving on to Sydney.
Earlier this year, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the international flights would be the most significant boost to international tourism Canberra had ever seen.
For Queanbeyan resident Con Cassidy who was embarking on a New Zealand holiday, it was not the first historic flight he'd caught.
The former Singapore Airlines worker was on board the first commercial Singapore Airlines A380 to Sydney in October 2007 as well as Qantas' first A380 flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles 12 months later.
"At the time I never could imagined Canberra would have international flights," he said.
Also taking off on a holiday across the ditch were Kingston residents Martin and Sue Neveu, who were relieved they were able to avoid the "horrible" international to domestic transfer at Sydney Airport to visit their family in New Zealand.
"We have our kids and grand children flying over from New Zealand at Christmas and this will be so much easier for them," they said.
"It's absolutely great."
Flights from Singapore arrive in Canberra on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8.35am. Passengers travelling on to Wellington will depart from Canberra at 9.50am.
