The codesharing agreement, which covers 18 flight routes, will begin on March 31, subject to approval from the Chinese aviation regulator, it said in a post on its official Weibo account.

As part of the partnership, the Guangzhou-based carrier will allow Emirates’ passengers to enjoy connectivity on domestic flights within China, adding eight new destinations to its global network.

Emirates currently has codeshare agreements in place with 23 partners around the world. However, this is the first codeshare agreement between Emirates and a China-based airline.

“The addition of eight domestic routes in the initial stage expands our reach in China, beyond the three hub cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president of strategic planning, revenue optimisation and aeropolitical affairs.

China Southern’s customers will be able to travel to destinations within the Middle East and Africa and beyond on a single ticket, added Mr Kazim.

The Chinese cities covered by the codeshare agreement include Fuzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Qingdao, Xiamen, Chengdu, Nanjing and Xi 'an during the initial phase of the partnership, subject to necessary government approvals.