‘Seemed impossible’: Chinese airline’s big Aussie move

A Chinese airline’s latest move has helped Sydney achieve a milestone that “seemed impossible”.

All eight Chinese airlines that flew through Sydney Airport before Covid have now returned, with Sichuan Airlines the last to touch down.

The airline’s first flight into Sydney in more than three and a half years landed on Monday afternoon from Chengdu.

The airport said just three Chinese airlines were flying a total of four return services between Sydney and mainland China at the start of the year, but in November, eight Chinese Airlines and Qantas will have a total of 85 return services a week.

Qantas also returned to mainland China for the first time in more than three years on Sunday.

The airline said its Sydney to Shanghai route was the final international destination to return to its pre-Covid network since borders reopened.

Sichuan Airlines’ first flight arriving from Chengdu into Sydney Airport since the pandemic. Picture: Supplied

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert said welcoming back Sichuan Airlines, which first flew into the airport in 2013 and paused flights in 2020 due to Covid, marked “an important milestone” in the airport’s recovery.

“The return of Sichuan Airlines comes at a time when capacity to China is nearing pre-Covid levels, something that seemed impossible at the start of the year,” Mr Culbert said.

“We started the year with very few flights from China, but by November we’ll be 86 per cent recovered, with more flights coming online in the coming months.

“The pace at which this market has returned has exceeded our expectations and will play a crucial role in supporting the recovery of tourism, business and student travel and the broader New South Wales economy.”

The airlines flying direct services from Sydney to mainland China are Air China, Beijing, Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Qantas, Sichuan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.

Sichuan Airlines’ return marks an important milestone Sydney Airport thought seemed impossible at the start of the year. Picture: Supplied

Deyun Wu from Sichuan Airlines said they were excited to welcome back Aussies to Chengdu, the capital city of southwestern China’s Sichuan province.

“Chengdu is a city that offers visitors unique cultural experiences and natural wonders, from sacred mountains and bamboo forests to spicy Sichuan cuisine and tranquil teahouses,” he said.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said while the resumption of its Sydney to Shanghai route was great news for business travellers and those visiting friends and relatives in China, it would also provide critical additional airfreight between Australia and China.

“The business travel market is a key focus for this route, and we expect the recent trade developments will drive more travel between Australia and China,” he said.

“While demand from Chinese visitors wanting to travel to Australia is below the record levels that we saw prior to the pandemic, demand has been steadily climbing since borders reopened.”

China lifted its ban on group tours to Australia in August.