Ninth Chinese airline to launch flights to Australia as visa changes boost travel interest

A ninth Chinese airline is about to start flying to Australia, filling the void left by Qantas’s withdrawal from mainland China and begging the question — is China the new Japan for Aussies?

Qantas’s withdrawal from mainland China has quickly been filled by another airline, with Juneyao Air set to become the ninth Chinese carrier operating to Australia

From December 19, the privately owned Juneyao will fly three times a week between Shanghai and Melbourne, increasing to daily in January and February.

Flights to Sydney are also believed to be in the pipeline for Juneyao after the exit of Qantas from Shanghai-Sydney last month.

Qantas cited a lack of demand for pulling off the route, but online travel agent Skyscanner said interest was rising on the back of visa changes for Australians visiting China.

Instead of forking out $110 for a single entry visa, Australians travelling to China for no more than 15 days could now enter visa-free.

Skyscanner data showed that since the change took effect on July 1, the volume of Australians searching for flights to Shanghai had jumped to the highest level for the year to date.

Flight searches for Beijing and Guangzhou had also leapt compared to previous months.

Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long said there was certainly growing interest in China, but it was not in the same league as Japan or Bali.

Bureau of Statistics data showed the number of Australians holidaying in Japan was 61 per cent ahead of pre-Covid-19 levels in June, while travel to Bali was up 29 per cent on five years ago.

In contrast, short-term trips to China by Australians were still 21 per cent behind 2019 figures.

“Japan’s smashing it; where the currency is, the type of experience, the ease and safety of the destination — everything has aligned in favour of Japan,” said Mr Long.

“On the other hand China hasn’t consistently had that high level of affirmation from past travellers that people can leverage off, and they haven’t historically invested huge levels in trade awareness, which has meant travellers seeking a cultural experience are going to Korea or Japan instead.”

China’s appeal for Australian visitors is rising thanks to ‘visa-free entry’. Picture: iStock

Mr Long said the increased airline capacity between Australia and China and recent visa changes would help encourage more travel, and hopefully ensure outbound and inbound passenger numbers were more evenly balanced.

“At the moment they’re willing to run those lower load factors for the maintenance of their slots, and also they know it’s a long term game to build knowledge and awareness of product and brand,” he said.

“They need to be able to run more regularly and build trust in the Australian public that they’re going to continue to fly.”

Melbourne Airport chief executive Lori Argus noted that the arrival of Juneyao Air would lift the gateway’s mainland China seat count to above pre-pandemic levels, and deliver a significant economic boost to Victoria.

Each daily international flight into the airport was estimated to be worth an average of $154m a year.

Executive Traveller editor-in-chief David Flynn said Juneyao operated “modern and colourful Boeing 787s with near identical business class seats to those in Qantas 787s and A380s”.

“So it’ll be a familiar trip to and from Shanghai with the comfort of a fully lie-flat bed plus a good amount of personal space for working, and handy storage nooks around the seat,” said Mr Flynn.

Juneyao also offered free Wi-Fi for all passengers “from tip to tail”, he said.

Other Chinese airlines flying direct from mainland China to Australia are China Eastern, China Southern, Beijing Capital, Air China, Hainan, Sichuan, Tianjin and Xiamen.

Originally published as Ninth Chinese airline to launch flights to Australia as visa changes boost travel interest