British Columbia’s Asia Pacific Gateway is opening a little bit wider with the announcement Thursday of the first regular air service between Vancouver International Airport and Guangzhou in Southern China, the airport authority said.China Southern Airlines, which is also a new addition to Vancouver International Airport, will start operating the three-times weekly service June 15 with 282-passenger Boeing 777-200 aircraft arriving from Guangzhou at 10:20 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and departing for return flights at 12 p.m.

The flight follows from Canada receiving approved destination status by China in the summer of 2010, which allows Chinese travellers easier access to Canadian locations.With China as British Columbia’s second-largest trading partner, continuing to provide expanded air service to the country has been a key objective for Vancouver Airport Authority as we work to build YVR as a premier global gateway to the Asia-Pacific region,” Larry Berg, CEO of the authority said.