Alert – Why Qantas is axing its only flights direct to mainland China – and what it means for travellers

Qantas has axed its only flights direct to mainland China blaming half-empty planes – but said it may reinstate the service at a later date.

The airline will ditch its Sydney to Shanghai service from July 28 due to ‘low demand’. 

The flights were paused for over three years during the Covid-19 pandemic and were only restarted in late October.

A network update issued on Tuesday said flights to Shanghai have been operating around half full, prompting the decision to suspend the route and use those A330s elsewhere.

A Qantas update said flights to Shanghai have been operating around half full, prompting the decision to suspend the route and use those A330s elsewhere

Customers booked to travel on Shanghai flights from July 28 will be entitled to a full refund, or they can contact Qantas or their travel agent to discuss rebooking on alternative flights (pictured, Shanghai Airport)

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the airline will continue to maintain a presence in China through its partners and existing flights to Hong Kong, and they would ‘look to return to Shanghai in the future’. 

The airline said it will continue to monitor the -China market closely and reinstate the flights once the market has fully recovered. 

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

The aircrafts used on this route will be redeployed to a new international route from Brisbane to Manila from October 28.

The flying kangaroo is scheduled to operate flights between the cities four days a week, for the first time in more than 10 years.

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

The airline will also operate 17 return flights a week between Sydney and Singapore and nine return flights a week from Brisbane to Singapore from December 11. 

Flights from Sydney to Bengaluru will also increase from five per week to daily between December and March, subject to government and regulatory approval.

Mr Wallace said these changes would ‘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’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,’ he said.