Travellers between China and Australia may soon have another part way across the Pacific. Nanjing has emerged as the leading candidate for direct flights to Canberra, potentially connecting two capital cities while opening a new gateway between China and Australia.
往返中国与澳大利亚的旅客，未来或许将多一种跨越太平洋的选择。南京目前已成为堪培拉开通中国直航的重点候选城市。若航线最终落地，两座首府城市将首次实现空中直连，并为中澳人员往来打开一扇新的门户。
For now, passengers making the journey must change aircraft. No airline operates nonstop between Canberra and Nanjing, meaning travellers usually connect through another Australian or Asian city. That inconvenience could eventually disappear.
目前，这段旅程仍离不开中转。堪培拉与南京之间尚无航空公司运营直飞航班，旅客通常需要经澳大利亚其他城市或亚洲枢纽转机。但这种不便，未来或将成为历史
Canberra Airport announced on 18 August that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Eastern Airports Group, which operates Nanjing Lukou International Airport. The agreement establishes a framework for exploring direct flights alongside tourism, education, research, trade and cultural exchanges.
堪培拉机场8月18日宣布与运营南京禄口国际机场的东部机场集团签署合作谅解备忘录。双方将以此为框架，探索开通直航的可能，同时推动旅游、教育、科研、经贸及文化交流。
Two Capitals That Have Never Been This Close
两座首府城市 从未如此接近
Nanjing is no random choice. Capital of Jiangsu and sitting within the Yangtze River Delta, the city gives a prospective Canberra service access to one of China’s largest concentrations of people, universities, industry and international business.
南京成为首选并非偶然。作为江苏省会和长三角重要中心城市，南京背后连接的是中国人口、大学、产业和国际商业高度集聚的区域之一。对于一条尚待培育的国际航线而言，这样的腹地至关重要。
The Australian end is equally unusual. Canberra is a national capital, yet its international network remains modest compared with Sydney and Melbourne. Its airport has been trying to change that, with a five-year strategy envisaging more than 22 domestic and international destinations.
澳大利亚这一端同样值得关注。堪培拉虽是国家首都，但其国际航线网络远不及悉尼和墨尔本。堪培拉机场正试图改变这一局面，其五年航线发展规划提出，将国内及国际目的地总数拓展至22个以上。
That makes China a conspicuous piece of the puzzle. Canberra Airport CEO Stephen Byron said the new agreement offered a practical route towards future aviation and economic links; Eastern Airports Group Vice-President Fan Hao specifically identified direct flights, connecting route networks and tourism promotion as areas for cooperation.
因此，中国市场成为这幅版图中颇为醒目的一块。堪培拉机场首席执行官Stephen Byron表示，此次合作为未来航空及经济联系提供了一条切实可行的推进路径。东部机场集团副总经理范浩则明确提到，双方将共同探索直航机会、航线网络衔接及旅游市场推广。
There is also a human market behind the airport language. Students, academics, families, tourists, business travellers and government delegations all move between the two countries. A direct service would turn what is currently a connecting journey into something much simpler.
机场和航线背后，更重要的是人。留学生、学者、探亲家庭、游客、商务人士以及政府代表团长期往返中澳两国。一旦直航成为现实，如今需要中转的旅程将变得简单得多。
Nanjing First, but Could More of China Follow?
南京先行 中国其他城市会否跟进
Australian reporting this week has placed Nanjing at the front of Canberra’s ambitions in China. The idea is not simply to carry Australians north; Canberra also wants Chinese visitors to consider the national capital as another entry point into Australia.
本周澳大利亚媒体的报道进一步将南京置于堪培拉中国航线布局的前列。这一设想也并非只是把澳大利亚游客送往中国；堪培拉同时希望吸引中国游客，将澳大利亚首都作为进入这个国家的另一扇大门。
That matters because Canberra’s international recovery is still unfinished. Current and announced links include Bali, Fiji and Doha, while passenger numbers remain below the roughly 3 million recorded before the pandemic.
这对于堪培拉尤为重要，因为当地国际航空市场的复苏仍未完成。目前及已经公布的国际连接包括巴厘岛、斐济和多哈，而机场整体旅客量仍低于疫情前约300万人次的水平。
What remains missing is an airline. There is no carrier, timetable, frequency or starting date attached to Canberra–Nanjing, and tickets are certainly not on sale. The agreement is about building a route, not announcing one.
然而，最关键的一块拼图仍然缺席。目前尚无航空公司确认执飞堪培拉至南京航线，也没有班期、频次和开航日期，机票更未开始销售。此次签约意味着双方开始认真培育一条航线，而不是宣布一条已经确定的航线。
Nor have other Chinese destinations yet been formally named. But the wording surrounding the partnership reaches beyond one city, presenting Nanjing as a possible starting point for stronger aviation links between Canberra and China rather than an isolated connection.
目前也没有其他中国城市被正式列为下一站。不过，双方对合作的表述并未局限于单一城市，而是将南京放在加强堪培拉与中国航空联系的更大图景之中。这让南京更像一个可能的起点，而非孤立的一条航线。
Travellers therefore should not pack their bags just yet. But the prospect is suddenly more real. Two capitals separated by thousands of kilometres and at least one change of aircraft now have something they did not have before; a plan to bring them closer.
所以，旅客现在还不必急着收拾行李。但这个可能性已经比几天前真实得多。相隔数千公里、至今至少需要一次转机的两座首府城市，如今第一次拥有了过去所没有的东西——一份让彼此真正靠近的计划。
