Qantas rings in Chinese New Year with return of daily flight to Beijing

Qantas is ending a seven-year suspension of its China service, as it hopes to cash in on a Beijing ‘goldmine’.

January is tipped to see a record-breaking 195,000 Chinese travellers visiting Australia. Picture: AAP/David Moir.

The flying kangaroo is embracing its auspicious red shade this Chinese New Year and is ringing in the Year of the Rooster by reinstating its direct flights from Sydney to Beijing.

Qantas has relaunched its service of daily flights for passengers and cargo between the two cities, a service it had suspended in 2009 following the global financial crisis.

“We are seeing a Chinese tourism boom, and we know that this route will being a lot more Chinese tourists to this country,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce on Wednesday.

“The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is hitting its stride and China is on track to become the number one source of visitors to Australia within the next year or so. Our goal is to make our Beijing route a flagship corridor for tourism and trade.”

Several airlines including Air China, China Southern Airlines and Air New Zealand already operate between Sydney and Beijing, although some routes include stopovers.

Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival curator Claudia Chan Shaw is hopeful these flights will make it easier for loved ones to reunite and celebrate the occasion.

“Chinese New Year is a time of reunion when families get together and I’m hopeful the extra Qantas flights will help facilitate that meeting,” Ms Chan Shaw said.

More than a million visitors are expected to attend the 17-day festival, the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia which last year hosted 1.3 million people.

The Tourism & Transport Forum Australia has estimated that January will see a record-breaking 195,000 Chinese travellers visiting Australia, of which 81,000 will be coming especially for Chinese New Year celebrations.

“Chinese New Year is an absolute gold mine for Australia’s visitor economy,” said CEO Margy Osmond.

“Thousands more visitors from China means more spending, and that will generate an additional

$671 million in expenditure from just this one celebration event — representing 7 per cent of the

$9.1 billion Chinese visitors spend over 12 months while visiting Australia.”

Starting tomorrow with the illumination of the Opera House sails and the Harbour Bridge in red, event highlights include a two-day dragon boat racing regatta, karaoke at the top of the Harbour Bridge, a night market curated by Kylie Kwong at Carriageworks and a performance by Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

“The big event is the Lunar Lanterns exhibition along Sydney Harbour where the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac will be re-imagined as lanterns,” said Ms Chan Shaw. “There will be an 8-metre tall rooster and golden glowing snake that measures 27-metres long — it really will be something to behold”.