Qantas Suspends Major Air Route Between Sydney and Shanghai

Signage is seen on display at the Qantas domestic terminal at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 25, 2022. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Qantas Airways has suspended its Sydney flights bound for Shanghai beginning July 28, citing low travel demand.

The airline discontinued operations on this route during the COVID-19 pandemic and only resumed on Oct. 29 last year.

Having expected a strong demand for overseas travel, the Qantas group began announcing a series of new flights and routes in May last year. However, this did not go as anticipated for Shanghai flights.

“Since COVID, the demand for travel between Australia and China has not recovered as strongly as expected. In some months, our flights to and from Shanghai have been operating around half-full,” Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said.

Due to fewer tourists and a major downturn in the Chinese economy, international flights to and from China have been slower to recover compared to other markets, operating at 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Customers can still travel to Shanghai and other Chinese destinations through Qantas’ partner airlines and redeem Qantas points while traveling. Flights to Hong Kong from Sydney and Melbourne are still ongoing.

Qantas said it will contact customers who booked flights to Shanghai from July 28 and offer full refunds. Customers or their travel agents can also contact Qantas to discuss rebooking arrangements on alternative flights.

Aircraft used on the suspended route will be reassigned to different Asian destinations with rising demand or new tourism opportunities.

New Flights

Meanwhile, Qantas announced direct flights from Brisbane to Manila for the first time in over a decade. Beginning on Oct. 28 this year, these flights will operate four days a week using Airbus A330 aircraft.

This new route allows an additional 100,000 seats between Australia and the Philippines, contributing to the carrier’s daily Sydney operations.

Moreover, the number of flights to Singapore and Bengaluru, India, is set to increase later this year.

The Brisbane to Singapore route will increase from seven to nine return flights starting Oct. 27, while the Sydney to Singapore route will increase from 14 to 17 return flights starting December 11. An additional 2,500 seats will be added weekly.

Flights from Sydney to Bengaluru will increase from five to seven a week to accommodate the strong demand during the peak holiday season. With an additional 12,000 seats, the extra flights will operate from mid-December to late March 2025.

Mr. Wallace says the new route and additional flights will give Qantas customers more travel choices while making accessibility to Asian destinations easier.

“We’re always looking to ensure that we have the right aircraft, on the right routes and at the right time of year to best meet the needs of our customers,” Mr. Wallace said.

“We’ll continue to maintain a presence in China through our partners and our existing flights to Hong Kong and look to return to Shanghai in the future.”

Last February, the Australian flag carrier reported an $869 million statutory profit for the half year ended December 31, 2023, down 13.2 percent from the year-ago period as lower fares contributed to reduced revenue per available seat kilometre. Meanwhile, revenue increased 12.3 percent to $11.13 billion.

“There’s a lot of work happening to lift our service levels and the early signs are really positive. Our customer satisfaction scores have bounced back strongly since December and we have more service and product improvements in the pipeline,” Qantas Airways CEO Vanessa Hudson said.