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China Eastern Airlines is launching a seasonal non-stop service between Perth and Shanghai.
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The service, flown with 232-seat A330-200 aircraft, will operate three times per week between 20 January and 18 February 2024 over the Chinese New Year period. It follows a previous trial route in January 2020, which was cancelled due to the onset of COVID-19.
According to Perth Airport Acting CEO Kate Holsgrove, the pandemic and lack of direct flights to mainland China have been a major blow to WA’s Chinese tourism market, which has fallen to 19,000 visitors and $78 million in expenditure in 2023.
“Back in 2019, Western Australia catered for 67,000 Chinese visitors who spent $283 million in our economy – including our important tourism and retail businesses,” she said.
“If we can further grow the number of visitors to WA, the flow-on benefits for tourism operators, hotels, hospitality and retail outlets could be enormous. A direct aviation connection to China offers great potential for both tourism and business in Western Australia.
“We look forward to building a strong partnership with China Eastern Airlines to ensure the success of this service so we can look for other opportunities with this important airline partner.”
The service will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and is scheduled to arrive in Perth at 10am and depart at 12:30pm.
There are currently no other direct services from Perth to mainland China, though Cathay Pacific next month will increase its Hong Kong route from three to five flights per week.
