A passenger walks past a Qantas Airways emblem at the Sydney International Airport terminal July 18, 2014.
IN PHOTO: A passenger walks past a Qantas Airways emblem at the Sydney International Airport terminal July 18, 2014. Reuters/David Gray

Carrier Qantas Airways has entered into a partnership with China Eastern that could possibly open new routes between Australia and China. The partnership signed on Monday aimed to carry out cooperation on joint marketing and airport services.

The two airlines already have an existing codesharing agreement that took effect since 2008. Qantas expects the new deal to open routes such as between Brisbane and Perth to Shanghai.

Alan Joyce, Qantas chief executive, told Fairfax Media the five-year agreement was a "good advancement for the Australian carrier. "It is a good market and it has good growth. It will be a win for our customers and, by making it easier for Chinese travellers to visit Australia, a win for trade and tourism."

Under the agreement, Qantas flights will be moved to Terminal 1 at Shanghai International Airport, giving travellers better and faster connection times as well as lounge access. Moreover, the deal pushes the two airline carriers to co-ordinate their services on the Sydney-Shanghai route since China Eastern also flies from Melbourne to Shanghai.

The new agreement, however, will only take effect upon the approval of regulators from both countries. Once approved, the timings of Qantas and China Eastern flights leaving Sydney for Shanghai could further panned to give customers more flexibility and choices. At present, Qantas and China Eastern flights leave Sydney within about 20 minutes of each other, the Sydney Morning Herald said. Barring hitches, the tie-up between the two international carriers is expected to start in mid-2015.

Apart from China Eastern, Qantas also has a codeshare agreement with China Southern on flights from Australian to Guangzhou and points beyond. It also has existing partnerships with Emirates for services to Europe, the Middle East and North America, American Airlines for North America and LAN Chile for South America.

According to portal australianaviation.com.au, inbound tourism from China to Australia is expected to contribute $9 billion annually to the Australian economy by 2020. "Australia is one of the most important tourist destinations and trade markets for China, and Qantas is the key partner for China Eastern in Australia," Liu Shaoyong, China Eastern chairman, said.