Qantas suspends flights to Shanghai due to low demand

View of the splendid night view of downtown Shanghai.

Qantas will suspend Sydney-Shanghai flights from 28 July due to low demand. The national carrier resumed its Sydney-Shanghai service in October last year after it was paused during COVID, however demand has not recovered as anticipated.

Qantas said it will continue to monitor the Australia-China market closely and will look to return to Shanghai when demand has recovered.

“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.

“That’s why we’ve decided to suspend this route and boost flying to other popular destinations with a new route from Brisbane to Manila and additional flights to Singapore and Bengaluru.

“This will create more choice for our corporate and leisure customers and make it even easier for them to access the places they need to travel to in Asia.

“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.”

Customers can continue to travel to Shanghai and other destinations in China on Qantas flights to Hong Kong with onward connections on partner airlines. Qantas Frequent Flyers can earn and redeem Qantas Points when travelling with partner airlines.

Customers booked to travel on Shanghai flights from 28 July will be contacted and offered a full refund, or they can contact Qantas or their travel agent to discuss rebooking on alternative flights.

Aircraft used on this route will be redirected to boost flying to other destinations across Asia where there is increasing demand or new tourism opportunities.

New route from Brisbane to Manila

Customers will have access to a new international route out of Brisbane with the flying kangaroo set to begin flights to Manila (subject to government and regulatory approval).

From 28 October 2024, the route will operate four days per week with Airbus A330 aircraft, marking the first time the airline has flown between the two cities in more than 10 years.

The flights add to Qantas’ existing daily service from Sydney and will add more than 100,000 seats between Australia and the Philippines each year.

Additional flying to Singapore and India

Qantas will increase flying to Singapore by around 10 per cent, offering more than 2,500 additional seats per week between Australia and the Lion City.

Sydney to Singapore will increase from 14 to 17 return flights per week from 11 December 2024.*

Brisbane to Singapore will increase from seven to nine return flights per week from 27 October 2024, timed to improve connectivity with Qantas’ daily service from Singapore to London, reducing overall travel time to Heathrow by around four hours.*

Flights from Sydney to Bengaluru will also increase from five per week to daily to cater for strong demand over the peak holiday season.*

The extra flights will operate between mid-December 2024 and late March 2025, adding over 12,000 seats between the two cities over the four-month period.

Tickets for the additional flights are available for sale at qantas.com and through travel agents. The new Brisbane-Manila flights will be available to book in the coming days.

*Subject to government and regulatory approval

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