From October 31, China Eastern will resume flights towards Brisbane from Shanghai again.
The return is part of China’s commitment to restoring services to Australian cities, with Sydney and Melbourne being a priority.
China Eastern will specifically deploy an Airbus A330 through to Brisbane initially thrice weekly with a vision to ramp the service up to daily from December 8 as part of expansion plans to match peak tourist demand.
While China Eastern has made headlines announcing its return, China Southern will also return to Brisbane from November 17 and from Guangzhou. It adds further connections to Asia from Brisbane, all part of the continued rebuild.
Shanghai is considered an important city on the Brisbane network with a more significant population than Australia. It is also China’s most prominent commercial hub. Therefore, the focus won’t just be on leisure travellers but also on being a route readily available for business demand.
In 2024, the view is that China will regain its place as the number one source for inbound tourists in Queensland, a substantial title that China will reclaim as critical cities in Queensland such as Brisbane, Gold Coast and other cities set to welcome travellers back.
