Qantas’ new route from Sydney to Sapporo to meet Aussie demand for Japan ski slopes

Australians’ obsession with skiing has paved the way for travellers to get a new, faster route to fly and get on Japan’s renowned white powder faster.

Exclusive: Australians’ obsession with skiing has paved the way for travellers to get a new, faster route to fly and get on Japan’s renowned white powder faster.

Qantas has announced direct seasonal flights from Sydney to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport to meet the growing demand for travel to Japan’s snowfields.

The new non-stop route to Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido will save Aussies about five hours, compared to current airline routes that involve connecting flights and stop overs in Tokyo or Osaka.

The moves comes as more than 800,000 Australians visited Japan between January and November last year, nearly 200,000 more than the previous record in 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).

Qantas will be offering direct seasonal flights from Sydney to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, to help make it easier for travellers to reach Hokkaido’s world-class ski resorts on Japan's northernmost island. Picture: Supplied/Qantas.

The organisation also reported 112,000 Aussies visited the country last month alone.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics also recently reported Australian tourists visiting Japan in July last year were up 55 per cent cent on five years prior.

The new leg will operate three times a week from December 15, 2025 to March 28, 2026.

Qantas said the flights will depart Sydney in the morning and arrive at the Chitose Airport early evening — enabling same-day travel to popular ski resorts Niseko, Furano, Rusutsu and Kioro.

Japan, Hokkaido, is a popular place for Aussies to ski on. Picture: Getty

Skiiers will then be able to hit the slopes in the morning and fly home to Sydney on the same night.

Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said the new route comes after the airline recognised Sapporo is an extremely popular winter destination for Aussies.

“These new flights will save passengers hours of travel time compared to connecting in Tokyo or other cities and give them more time to enjoy on the slopes,” he said.

“We last flew to Sapporo in early-2020 and had extremely positive feedback from customers, so we’re looking forward to operating this route again.”

Flights for Qantas’ new Japan route will go on sale later on Monday morning, with prices to be released.

A recent poll by global strategic insights practice Canvas8 into the Australian tourism industry revealed the extent to which our appetite for global travel has rebounded in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The poll showed 71 per cent of Aussies under age 30 prioritised spending on holidays over property investment.

Australian Tours and Holidays general manager Gina Gaw has 25 years industry experience. Picture: Supplied

Australian Tours and Holidays general manager Gina Gaw said she believed the route would be a success.

“This is great news. Sapporo is a bucket list destination for many people,” Ms Gaw said.

“You dont need to go to America or Europe - go straight to Sapporo to see the snow and enjoy their famous beer while you’re there.”

The Sydney tourism executive said she believed the route would be popular with not only snow seekers but those with a more modest travel budget.

“I think this route is going to boom. Tokyo prices are like New York prices, but in Sapporo things are a much better price,” Ms Gaw said.

“It’s much more affordable there. For example, a simple bowl of ramen in Tokyo is $20. But in Sapporo, you can get one for $5.”