Air China plans to suspend its direct flights from Beijing to Brisbane, launched less than a year ago to great fanfare by the Queensland Government.
The airline reportedly plans to divert its flights out of Beijing to other Australian cities from September to January, plans which have caused some friction in Queensland.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk initially proclaimed the new route as “a big coup for Queensland, opening up new opportunities to tap into this valuable market”. She estimated the service would bring 170,000 people to Queensland over four years.
Four flights a week from Beijing have brought 35,000 passengers to Queensland since last December, according to reports in Brisbane, which would mean the service is well on track to meet the target.
Data on international airline activity, compiled by Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) show that 13,569 passengers flew from Beijing to Brisbane in the five months from December 2017 to April 2018 inclusive, the only period in which that city pair is shown. (April is the latest month for which statistics are available.)
That’s an extrapolated annual total of 32,566, though seasonal variations would affect it. It doesn’t count passengers heading in the other direction.
Brisbane Airport Corporation said it understood the service suspension was “due to fleet availability, a factor beyond our control, which Air China is working to restore as soon as possible”.
“We remain committed to the Beijing-Brisbane route as a key inbound market for Queensland trade and tourism and vital non-stop destination for Australian exporters and business people flying outbound.”
Just days ago, Korean Air celebrated 25 years of flying from Seoul to Brisbane, so having a major Chinese carrier deciding to fly elsewhere is a blow.
When Air China’s Beijing-Brisbane service was launched last year, Palaszczuk said that securing more direct international flights was the way forward.
“Since we were elected, my government has secured additional flights bringing 735,000 extra seats and more than AUD 570 million to our economy ever year.”
Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, said it was great to see the new flights announced during the China-Australia Year of Tourism.
Written by Peter Needham
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