Final pre-Covid Chinese carrier returns to Sydney

All eight Chinese carriers that flew into Sydney Airport pre-COVID have returned with the arrival of Sichuan Airlines. Sichuan Airlines flight 3U3883 from Chengdu touched down in Sydney on Monday on board an A330-300. With its return, nine airlines including Qantas will offer direct services between Sydney and mainland China, and it is estimated Sydney Airport’s China capacity will be 86% recovered in November. As of this month, Sydney Airport will have 85 return services to mainland China per week, with Sichuan Airlines the only carrier offering direct flights to Chengdu. The route is recommencing with three weekly return services after being paused in 2020, increasing to five from 19 November. According to Geoff Culbert, Sydney Airport CEO, the return of Sichuan, which first started services to Sydney in 2013, marks a major milestone in the airport’s post-COVID recovery. “The return of Sichuan Airlines comes at a time when capacity to China is nearing pre-COVID levels, something that seemed impossible at the start of the year,” he said. “We started the year with very few flights from China, but by November we’ll be 86% recovered, with more flights coming online in the coming months. The pace at which this market has returned has exceeded our expectations and will play a crucial role in supporting the recovery of tourism, business and student travel and the broader New South Wales economy.”<br/>