The inaugural Juneyao Air service from Shanghai touched down in Australia today, making it the record ninth Chinese mainland carrier at Sydney Airport and propelling seat capacity from Sydney Airport to mainland China to 101 per cent of 2019 levels.
The Shanghai-based airline will operate four direct services a week from Sydney to Shanghai on its flagship Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, rising to daily flights for the 2025 lunar new year period.
Sydney is the first Australian destination for Juneyao Air with a thrice-weekly Melbourne-Shanghai service to commence on 19 December 2024.
With Juneyao’s entry into the market, Sydney Airport now offers the highest seat capacity to mainland China of any Australian airport.
Sydney is now the main gateway to China
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton claimed the title of Australia’s main gateway to China.
“We are honoured that Juneyao Air has chosen Sydney as its first Australian destination, cementing our position as Australia’s premier gateway to China,” he said.
“China is one of Sydney Airport’s most important markets – our third largest – and Shanghai is the leading gateway within that market, so we’re excited about the opportunities this will bring for the airport and our passengers.”
The Juneyao Air flights were supported by the NSW Government’s Aviation Attraction Fund.
Destination NSW Acting CEO Stephen Mahoney said: “The arrival of Juneyao Air’s inaugural Sydney-Shanghai flight marks an exciting milestone for the NSW visitor economy.”
“China continues to be one of our top-performing international markets, contributing $3.5 billion in visitor expenditure in the year ending June 2024. This new route will strengthen connections and drive further growth.”
Juneyao Air President Chengji Yu said: “We are excited to announce the expansion of our network into Oceania with new services to the vibrant harbour city of Sydney, marking our first destination in Australia.”
“We are confident that the people of Sydney will appreciate this new direct service, connecting them seamlessly to our Shanghai hub and beyond through our extensive China, Asia and Europe network.”
For more info, visit global.juneyaoair.com
