First post-pandemic flight from China lands at Cairns Airport

The first direct flight from China for almost four years has touched down in Cairns but a storm delayed passengers from disembarking.

The first direct flight from China for almost four years has touched down in Cairns but a storm delayed passengers from disembarking.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU571 from Shanghai landed at Cairns Airport just after midday on Thursday, beginning a series of seasonal flights during the Chinese New Year period.

Travellers had a slightly slow start to their visit, sitting on the tarmac for an hour waiting for a storm to pass.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU571 from Shanghai landed at Cairns Airport just after midday on Thursday, beginning a series of seasonal flights during the Chinese New Year period. Image: Supplied

But the storm didn’t dampen their sprits, according to airport CEO Richard Barker who said the service was a significant milestone for the region.

“China is a key inbound tourism market, and these are our first direct flights since the pandemic,” he said.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming China Eastern Airlines. It is clear that our region remains a destination of desire, and we expect these direct seasonal will help accelerate the return of visitors from China.”

About 20,000 Chinese tourists are expected to welcome in the Year of the Dragon in Tropical North Queensland this year bringing in an estimated economic impact of $26m.

China Eastern is operating the Airbus A330 aircraft to Cairns seating 232 passengers.

Pilots and crew gather to celebrate the return of China Eastern to Cairns with a cake cutting with Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker. Photo: Supplied.

The last time Cairns welcomed seasonal flights from China was in 2019.

The most recent scheduled service from China was Hainan airlines, which operated to Shenzen but stopped in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen welcomed the return of direct flights.

“Tropical North Queensland’s international recovery is closely linked to aviation access and these flights will allow us to show that Cairns is ready to welcome visitors from china,” he said.

Travellers had a slightly slow start to their visit, sitting on the tarmac for an hour waiting for a storm to pass. Image: Supplied

“China was our largest international market before the pandemic accounting for one in five international visitor nights and injecting more than $200 million a year into our regional economy.”

Tourism Minister Michael Healy added: “These seasonal flights for Chinese New Year are vitally important for our tourism industry but will also see the continued return of our international markets.”

“We are happy to welcome them back.”

Originally published as First post-pandemic flight from China lands at Cairns Airport