Tianjin Airlines will be flying from Tianjin to Auckland, New Zealand by the end of December, the first Tianjin route to Oceania.

The Tianjin-Auckland route is a significant step in the airline’s internationalization strategy and will fill the southern hemisphere market gap.

An airline representative said that since the first A330 -- a wide-bodied jet -- joined the airline this May the company has been focusing on international services, particularly medium and long range ones.

Niu Lin, general manager of the airline’s marketing department, said tourism potential is the driving force of the internationalization strategy.

The air route will also promote the development of New Zealand's tourist economy.

Norris Carter, general manager of Auckland Airport, said the route will offer a new shortcut for Chinese tourists coming to New Zealand and it’s anticipated that 83,000 seats can be provided every year after the course opens.

So far, the airline has expanded to South Asia, Japan, South Korea and European countries. CEO Liu Lu said the company is now targeting Los Angeles and Melbourne as its next destinations.

Over the next five years another ten A330s will join the company and more international routes will be opened.