Shanghai to Perth lands

THE first direct flight linking Western Australia and Shanghai touched down at Perth Airport yesterday morning.

The inaugural China Eastern flight from Shanghai Pudong Int’l Airport to Perth marked the beginning of a seasonal trial service and China Eastern Airlines’ first direct flight to Perth.

It will operate thrice weekly (Mon, Wed & Fri) until 17 Feb and has been timed with the peak of the Chinese New Year season, with an average load factor of over 80% across the five weeks and a number of flights nearly at 100% capacity.

The service utilises Airbus A330 aircraft, offering 3,480 seats between Perth and Shanghai across the trial with Economy airfares leading in at $698 return.

Perth Airport CEO Kevin Brown said the trial non-stop service between Shanghai and Perth gave Western Australians an opportunity to experience Chinese New Year in Shanghai and would hopefully result in a year-round service for WA.

“If the trial is successful and leads to the introduction of three weekly services year-round, it could mean an additional $40m in tourism spend for the WA economy,” Brown said.

“If we can continue to grow the number of visitors to WA, the flow-on benefits for tourism operators, hotels, hospitality and retail outlets could be enormous.”

Prior to the flight, WA Tourism Minister Paul Papalia led a delegation in Shanghai, where he presented China Eastern Airlines with an offer for a regular ongoing direct service to Perth (TD 13 Jan)

THE first direct flight from Shanghai to Perth arrived to much fanfare yesterday morning.

China Eastern’s trial thriceweekly service will operate for five weeks (see page one) arriving into Perth at 9.50am and departing at 11.50am until Mon 17 Feb.

The seasonal trial is a partnership between the State Govt, through Tourism WA, Perth Airport, Tourism Australia and China Eastern Airlines.

The WA Government will work with the airline to secure the route as a regular service.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia welcomed the arrival, highlighting the potential impact of ongoing direct flights.

“Shanghai has a population of more than 26m people, which is more than the number of people who live in Australia,” he said.

“Ongoing direct flights between Shanghai and Perth would open up a massive new visitor market and the interest in the trial flights has been encouraging.”

Papalia is pictured second from right with other dignitaries welcoming the plane.