January trial for direct Shanghai flight

China Eastern Airlines will trial direct flights between Perth and Shanghai over a four-week block early in 2024, reviving an offering suspended in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.

The service between Perth and Shanghai will run three times a week from January 20 to February 18, with 14 inbound flights coinciding with Lunar New Year celebrations.

The announcement follows a meeting between Premier Roger Cook and China Eastern yesterday, shortly before the premier cut his China trade mission short to return to Western Australia as the state’s emergency services battle a series of dangerous bushfires.

Mr Cook had singled out direct flights as a priority ahead of his visit to the nation’s largest trading partner and was joined in his delegation by Perth Airport acting chief executive Kate Holsgrove.

Mr Cook said the route would provide a significant economic boost to the state, and that he hoped the service would become a permanent fixture.

“Direct flights to and from China not only benefit our tourism sector, but open up significant opportunities for international education, agriculture and business exchanges,” he said.

“My government will work with China Eastern and Perth Airport to help ensure the flights are a success, so it can become a permanent direct flight link on the near future.”

The resumed connection with Shanghai follows a similar service run by the airline in January 2020, which was planned for five weeks but cut short by COVID-19.

The service to Shanghai is the 18^th direct route secured or re-launched since WA’s borders reopened last year.

Tourism Minister and Treasurer Rita Saffioti said she hoped to grow on the economic benefit that would come of increased tourism from China.

“Chinese visitors delivered a total visitor expenditure of $78 million last financial year,” she said.

“While this is a positive result, the pre-COVID figure of $367 million injected by Chinese visitors into WA’s economy demonstrates the importance of increased visitor numbers from China.

“The Chinese market is hugely significant for the tourism industry in Australia, and I look forward to seeing the success of this service opening more opportunities for future connections, strengthening WA’s reputation as the ‘western gateway’.”

Earlier this week at a press conference to celebrate the launch of a direct Vietjet flight between Perth and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Perth Airport chief operating officer Scott Woodward told media that each direct route was worth around $70 million annually to the local economy.

The Tourism Council WA today said the seasonal service to Shanghai would inject more than $9 million into the local economy over the four-week block.

“The trial is expected to bring fourteen planes full of Chinese visitors to WA to celebrate Chinese New Year, catch up with friends and relatives, and enjoy a relaxing holiday in WA,” chief executive Evan Hall said.

“Chinese visitors were the highest spending visitors pre-COVID, with the spend per visitor estimated at $5,000 in 2019.”

He said securing a permanent direct service between Perth and Shanghai should be a priority for the state government.