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Melbourne will gain another direct link to mainland China from the end of the year with the arrival of Juneyao Air.
The Shanghai-based carrier will operate three 787-9 Dreamliner flights per week between Melbourne and Shanghai Pudong International Airport starting on 19 December, increasing to daily services in the peak period. Each flight will carry up to 324 passengers, including 29 in business class.
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The route will be Juneyao’s Australian route and the second link between Melbourne and Shanghai, with China Eastern Airlines also operating a service; it will also bring Melbourne’s mainland China capacity above pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus welcomed the new Juneyao service and said it “underscored the need for ongoing investment in the international terminal and new airfield infrastructure”.
“Choosing Melbourne as their first Australian destination is an incredible vote of confidence in Victoria, and Juneyao Airlines’ quality service and extra cargo capacity will help further strengthen ties with China,” she said.
“Melbourne Airport will now be served by more international carriers than ever before, and with the average daily international flight worth $154 million to the Victorian economy, it highlights the need for our investment in projects such as the international terminal upgrades and 3-billion-dollar third runway.
“The third runway will ensure the airport is not capacity constrained in the future, so our existing airlines can grow and new players can enter the market, which means more choice for travellers.”
The news comes almost a month after the end of Qantas’ non-stop service from Sydney to Shanghai, which had recommenced in October 2023 after three years, with the Flying Kangaroo citing low demand and a desire to use its A330-300s on other routes.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said in May that the move would ensure Qantas has “the right aircraft, on the right routes and at the right time of year to best meet the needs of customers”.
“Since COVID, the demand for travel between Australia and China has not recovered as strongly as expected. In some months, our flights to and from Shanghai have been operating around half full,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve decided to suspend this route and boost flying to other popular destinations with a new route from Brisbane to Manila and additional flights to Singapore and Bengaluru. This will create more choice for our corporate and leisure customers and make it even easier for them to access the places they need to travel to in Asia.
“We’ll continue to maintain a presence in China through our partners and our existing flights to Hong Kong and look to return to Shanghai in the future.”
Melbourne is also served by Air China to Beijing; Beijing Capital Airlines to Hangzhou and Qingdao; China Eastern to Nanjing; China Southern to Guangzhou; Hainan Airlines to Haikou; Sichuan Airlines to Chengdu; and XiamenAir to Xiamen.
