Adelaide Zoo's newest members have arrived.

In the early hours of Sunday 15 December, Giant Pandas Yi Lan and Xing Qiu (pictured above) landed at Adelaide Airport after travelling from Dujiangyan in China, before making their way across the city to Adelaide Zoo.

Director of Adelaide Zoo Dr Phil Ainsley said the pandas were accompanied on the journey by a Zoos SA veterinarian alongside a vet and panda keeper from the China Conservation and Research Centre of Giant Panda.

"They regularly checked on the pandas throughout the flight and made sure they had plenty of bamboo snacks," Dr Ainsley said.

He said the zoo was grateful for the support not just from the South Australian public, but panda fans worldwide. 

"This is such an exciting new chapter for Giant Pandas in Australia, and we look forward to learning all about Yi Lan and Xing Qiu’s personalities, likes and dislikes," he said.

Adelaide Zoo's former pandas, Wang Wang and Fu Ni, were a major tourism attraction since arriving in 2009, helping to attract local, interstate and international visitors.

"During the time that Wang Wang and Fu Ni were with us at Adelaide Zoo, their species conservation status improved plus we saw an increase in Giant Panda numbers in the wild," Dr Ainsley said.

"So we can’t wait to see what is in store during this new Giant Panda era and for the next generation of South Australians to grow up with Yi Lan and Xing Qiu, hopefully sparking a love for their species and conservation into the future."

Yi Lan (pronounced ee-lun) is a three-year-old female panda whose name means 'idly blissful'.  Xing Qiu (pronounced shing chee-y-ull) is a four-year-old panda with a docile but lively personality. His name means 'star autumn', after the stars in the sky on the night he was born.

The pair are now getting to know the Adelaide Zoo keeping team and settling into their new home at the Bamboo Forest, which is closed to the public while the pandas complete a mandatory quarantine period.

Zoos SA expects the public will be able to catch their first glimpse of the panda pair in mid-January.