A statement said Qantas International chief executive Gareth Evans and Fliggy vice-president Jerry Hu signed the agreement which also covers joint marketing campaigns to Alibaba's mobile users. In March, the number of mobile active users across all Alibaba's retail sites was about 507 million.

More than 20 international carriers already have a presence on Fliggy. About three-fourths of Alibaba Group's users are aged 35 and below.

Evans said: "With travel between China and Australia booming, a Qantas booking page on Fliggy is an exciting opportunity for us to have a connection with younger Chinese travellers, who increasingly turn to mobile applications like Fliggy and online sites to research and purchase travel.

“Australia is one of the top destinations on the wish list for many Chinese travellers, and following the launch of our direct service from Beijing to Australia in January, we now have the Qantas Group’s largest ever network in Greater China.

Gareth Evans and Jerry Hu after signing the deal between Qantas and Fliggy. Photo: supplied

“Qantas’ partnership with Fliggy forms another part of our growth strategy for China and the broader Asian region."

Hu said the company looked forward to welcoming Qantas as the first Australian airline to have a flagship store on the site.

“With the popularity of mobile Internet and its impact on commerce, Fliggy can provide brands with a large customer base, as well as facilitate direct communication with their customers,” he said.

“Fliggy can also provide consumer insights to help brands improve their marketing, membership system, services levels, and continuously optimise the consumer travel experience."

Qantas has partnerships with China Eastern and China Southern and runs more than 130 weekly return flights between Australia and China, plus about 250 connecting services to domestic destinations.

Qantas low-cost carrier Jetstar offers more than 30 return flights a week to six Chinese cities from Singapore, Vietnam and Japan.