From July 28, 2024, Qantas will suspend service on their route between Sydney and Shanghai due to weak demand. The carrier will also launch new service between Brisbane and Manila on October 28th, and will boost capacity to Singapore and India.
On Tuesday (May 14, 2024), Qantas announced that due to low demand, they will suspend service on their route between Sydney and Shanghai from July 28, 2024. Customers wishing to travel to Shanghai can still do so by flying to Hong Kong and connecting with partner airlines. Qantas Frequent Flyer members will also be able to earn and redeem Qantas Points while flying with partner airlines. Customers booked to Shanghai after July 28th will be contacted and offered a full refund, or they can contact the carrier directly to book an alternative itinerary.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Qantas International’s CEO, Cam Wallace, said,
“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. 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.
“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.”
As previously mentioned, for the first time in over a decade, Qantas will launch new service between Brisbane and Manila from October 28, 2024. The route will operate four times weekly with an Airbus A330, complementing the carrier’s existing service between Sydney and Manila. Additionally, Qantas will increase capacity to Singapore by 10 percent. Service between Sydney and Singapore will increase from 14 to 17 return flights weekly from December 11, 2024, while Brisbane-Singapore flights will increase from seven to nine weekly returns from October 27, 2024. Flights between Sydney and Bengaluru will also increase from five weekly to daily service, with the extra flights to be available between mid-December 2024 and late March 2025.
Source: Qantas