Chinese carrier Juneyao Air plans to expand its international network by launching its first flights to Australia, connecting Shanghai with both Melbourne and Sydney.
The first of the two new routes will begin on Dec. 17, with four flights per week between Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD). Two days later, the airline will the launch a 3X-weekly service between PVG and Melbourne Airport (MEL).
During the peak travel months of January and February, the MEL service will increase to daily, and SYD says there is also potential to increase its frequencies to daily.
Both routes will utilize Boeing 787-9 aircraft, configured with 324 seats, including 29 lie-flat business class seats.
The addition of these new routes will see Juneyao Airlines become the ninth mainland-based carrier to connect SYD with China, a record number for the airport. This expansion is expected to push the airport’s seat capacity to mainland China to 101% of its 2019 levels, offering 53,000 weekly seats.
“This expansion is a strong vote of confidence in Sydney as the premier gateway to Australia and underscores the enduring appeal of New South Wales to Chinese travelers,” SYD CEO Scott Charlton says.
MEL is also preparing for a significant increase in passenger traffic from mainland China, with Juneyao’s entry putting its Chinese seat capacity above pre-pandemic levels.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus highlights the importance of ongoing investments in infrastructure to support the growing demand. The airport is currently undergoing a half-billion-dollar upgrade of its international baggage handling system, as well as the construction of a third runway.
“Choosing Melbourne ... is an incredible vote of confidence in Victoria, and Juneyao Air’s quality service and extra cargo capacity will help further strengthen ties with China,” Argus says.
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, capacity between Australia and mainland China is about 55,000 two-way seats at the present time, equivalent to around 75% of 2019 levels. However, the latest schedule indicates that capacity will have recovered to almost 100% by the end of the year.
Juneyao Air will compete with China Eastern Airlines on both new routes. On the PVG-SYD route, China Eastern currently offers a daily service, which will increase to 11 flights per week starting in September and up to three flights daily from Dec. 13 through Feb. 9, 2025. On the PVG-MEL route, China Eastern operates daily flights, with plans to boost frequencies to twice daily by late November.
Elsewhere, Perth Airport has confirmed that China Eastern plans to operate seasonal flights from PVG from Jan. 24 through Feb. 14 for the Chinese New Year holiday period. Service will be 3X-weekly using Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
Related Content
