Nonstop scheduled capacity between mainland China and Australia is set to increase over the coming months, boosted by the start of a new route being opened by Beijing Capital Airlines.
The carrier has scheduled the launch of a third service to Australia, complementing its existing flights from Qingdao International Airport to both Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Sydney Airport (SYD).
The new route will see the inauguration of flights connecting Hangzhou International Airport (HGH) and Melbourne from June 16. Service on the 4,945-mi. (4,297-nm) sector will be offered three times per week using Airbus A330-200 aircraft, according to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser.
Beijing Capital Airlines will join China Eastern Airlines as the second operator of nonstop flights between Australia and Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province that is home to more than 10 million people. China Eastern currently serves HGH-SYD twice a week with A330-200s.
The launch of the Beijing Capital Airlines service also restores nonstop connectivity between Hangzhou and Melbourne after an absence of more than four years. Previously, Xiamen Airlines provided a 2X-weekly service until February 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.
Sabre Market Intelligence figures show O&D demand of about 40,000 two-way passengers in 2019, equivalent to 55 passengers per day each way. The figure last year was almost 20,000 two-way passengers, despite the lack of nonstop scheduled flights.
The route marks the latest success for Melbourne Airport, which set a new March record for international passengers. MEL handled 923,065 international travelers in March 2024, surpassing the previous March record of 916,849 in 2018.
Growth has been boosted by newcomer Turkish Airlines, which launched its Australian operation with flights to Melbourne from Istanbul, via Singapore, on March 2. Additionally, other new routes in recent months have included Vietjet’s flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Air India's inaugural from Mumbai.
In the wider China-Australia market, there are 24 nonstop routes operating at present by nine airlines—eight of which are Chinese. Total two-way capacity at present is about 81% of 2019 levels, but is expected to rise to almost 89% by June and 94% by September.
Australia is currently the 11th-largest international market by capacity from mainland China, ahead of countries including the UK, United Arab Emirates, Germany and the U.S.
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