Air China will begin running direct flights between Beijing and New Zealand's Auckland on Dec. 10 of this year, the airline announced on Tuesday.

An Airbus A330-200 will leave the Chinese capital city for Auckland daily and return to Beijing on the next day.

The route, Air China's first to New Zealand and the only direct flight between the Chinese mainland and the country, will be operated jointly by Air New Zealand and Air China under an agreement signed in November 2014.