Guangzhou's immaculate Baiyun Airport to receive direct flights from Vancouver

This is definitely good news for Canadians (and many others) living in Guangdong Province.

The Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, has announced that non-stop flights between Guangzhou and Vancouver will commence next summer.

Officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during a bilateral meeting Thursday, confirming the commencement of the first direct flights between Vancouver and Guangzhou in 2009. Premier Campbell is also meeting with China Eastern Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airlines during his trade mission to discuss expanding transportation links between China and B.C.

"Currently, citizens of Guangdong must travel either to Shanghai or Beijing to take advantage of air services to Vancouver, or alternatively transit through Hong Kong," said Tony Gugliotta, Vancouver Airport Authority's senior vice-president of marketing and commercial development, in the release. "Direct air service will allow greater ease and comfort for the many travelers moving between our two provinces."

I have been bullish on the potential of Guangzhou for as long as readers of this blog can remember, and this is a good sign that the capital of Guangdong will cement itself as an economic hub in southern China. It has been rumored, for years, that Air Canada is also planning to open up the Guangzhou-Vancouver route, and perhaps this will spur that decision along.

As a side note, anyone who's traveled through Guangzhou's luxurious Baiyun Airport knows that it's ready to welcome more international flights. On a recent trip through China with friends, people were in unanimous agreement that Guangzhou is the nicest big-city airport in China (not including Hong Kong International). Now, more people will get to see it themselves.

There are currently non-stop flights between Guangzhou and many international destinations, including Los Angeles in the United States.