Extra flights and new route ease Australia-China capacity crunch

Corporate travel demand on the rise

The capacity boost is welcome as Corporate Traveller and FCM Travel say their bookings show rising travel demand over the same period. The two brands recorded a 16% increase in combined bookings between March and August 2026, compared with the same six months a year earlier.

FCM Travel General Manager ANZ Renos Rologas said the added capacity and a new airline joining Sydney’s tarmac couldn't come at a better time. 

"Capacity between Australia and China has been improving steadily over the past 12 months, and it's really only in recent months that we've started to see seat availability on the route consistently at strong, sustained levels,” Rologas said.  

“By December, seats from Australia to China will be up 15% year-on-year, and that lands right as we head into the seasonal summer peak. That's a meaningful, well-timed boost for corporate travellers, and it delivers the most capacity we’ve seen on the route in about half a decade. 

“The top industries we see travelling between Australia and China are education, manufacturing and construction, which are backbone industries delivering critical services and infrastructure to Australians. 

“With two-way trade between Australia and China worth more than $325 billion in 2025 and China remaining Australia’s largest trading partner, direct air capacity like this isn't just a tourism story – it's critical infrastructure for the business relationship. We expect it to translate directly into stronger booking volumes for our corporate clients doing business in South China and the Greater Bay Area.”

The Global Business Travel Association forecasts Asia Pacific business travel spend will hit US$700.9 billion in 2026, up 10.9% year-on-year and more than 40% of global spend – China alone will account for US$408 billion of that total.  

- Renos Rologas, FCM Travel General Manager ANZ