China Southern Airlines started using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route between Guangzhou and London this month, China Daily reports.

Knowing that 60% of passengers who fly the route go onto other destinations, the airline hopes the move will help Guangzhou compete with airports like Dubai as a stop-off for those travelling between Britain and Australia.

The new 72-hour visa free stays that Guangzhou offers is also aimed at attracting tourism from such passengers.

Despite being 20% more fuel efficient than the Airbus 330 previously used by China Southern on this route, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a troubled history.

The Daily Telegraph lists this timeline of problems that the plane has faced since the first flight was delayed by three months in September 2007 due to a shortage of fasteners and incomplete software.

The most recent mishaps included the grounding of a Qatar Airways flight due to problems with an electrical panel on July 22 and a fire that broke out on an empty Ethiopian Airlines 787 at London Heathrow on July 12.