Passengers queue to get aboard. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

A flight carrying 134 passengers took off from Hangzhou International Airport at 16:05 on Nov 5, marking the inauguration of the first round-trip passenger flight from Hangzhou to Sydney and Auckland.

The flight reached Auckland on Nov 6 at 9:40, then continued to Sydney.

According to the schedule, passengers have the option to fly directly from Hangzhou to Auckland or have a layover in Auckland and then proceed to Sydney on Thursdays and Sundays. Similarly, they can fly from Hangzhou to Sydney or have a layover in Sydney before reaching Auckland on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The route is operated by China Eastern Airlines and is the first fifth freedom passenger route within Zhejiang province and the nation's first fifth freedom route to Oceania.

The fifth freedom, or the third-country traffic right, allows airlines to stop in a third country while operating an international route and load or offload passengers or cargo. It is celebrated within the aviation industry as one of the most economically significant traffic rights, vital for expanding global market networks, assessing a region's international openness, and evaluating its business environment.

On Dec 30, 2021, Hangzhou International Airport opened its first fifth freedom cargo route within Zhejiang province, which fills a shortage in the airport's Oceania route network.

The airport has demonstrated its commitment to expanding its intercontinental flight destinations this year, having added or resumed services to Rome, Lisbon, Cairo, Madrid, Moscow, Sydney, and Auckland.

The jetliner. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]