Qantas to suspend Shanghai flights on low demand

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Australia’s Qantas Airways said on Tuesday it will suspend flights to Shanghai starting on July 28, citing low demand, nine months after the Australian flag carrier resumed service from Sydney.

“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,” Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said.

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Qantas aircraft on the Shanghai route will be redirected to other destinations across Asia with higher demand or new tourism opportunities, the company said.

Qantas will continue to monitor the Australia-China market closely and return to Shanghai when demand has recovered, the carrier added.

Qantas still flies to Hong Kong from Sydney and Melbourne, and has partnerships with other airlines for onward travel within China.