MELBOURNE, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong Airlines flight HX013 touched down Saturday at the Melbourne Airport, marking the inauguration of the airline's new direct service from Hong Kong to the Australian city.

The flight, welcomed by a water cannon salute at the airport, made Melbourne the airline's second scheduled destination in Australia following its Sydney service, which commenced in June.

This marks a significant milestone in the company's development, making it the second Hong Kong-based carrier in nearly two decades to operate multiple routes to Australia.

The Hong Kong-Melbourne service is operated by Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft and will operate three times a week.

"Today sees our first flight, our very first flight to Melbourne. Definitely it's a milestone for Hong Kong Airlines," said Hong Kong Airlines President Jeff Sun.

"We are honored to operate this route to further deepen exchanges between two of the world's most vibrant cities and promote connectivity between Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, the wider Asian region, and Australia."

Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos welcomed Hong Kong Airlines as the airport's 41st carrier, saying that the new service opened up new options for travelers and exporters into one of Asia's most exciting regions.

"We have many students in Melbourne. We have a big Chinese community here in Melbourne. So those cultural links are very important," he said.

Fang Xinwen, Chinese consul-general to Melbourne, said China offered a unilateral visa-free arrangement for Australian passport holders last year and further extended the policy to the end of next year.

"The visa-free policy and convenient flights mean easy and convenient trips to China. We hope that more and more people can travel to China," he noted. ■