In 2019, Qantas launched seasonal service between Sydney and Sapporo New Chitose, which operated between mid-December 2019 and late March 2020.
The route remained suspended since then due to the pandemic. While the airline toyed with the idea of resuming the route in winter 2024, the idea has now been scrapped due to the airline’s inability to secure ground staff and fuel in Japan, The Nikkei reported.
When launching the route, Qantas International’s then-Acting CEO Naren Kumar said “These new flights make it easier for Australians to reach Hokkaido’s popular ski resorts like Niseko and Rusutsu.” While the route will not resume this year, it remains on the airline’s radar.
Upon confirming that the resumption’s postponement, Qantas spokesperson commented that “Sapporo continues to be an important market and we have a lot of connections with our partner airlines to get our customers there for the next ski season.” “We’ll continue to review the network with a view to restarting direct flights again in the coming years,” the spokesperson continued.
During the brief period the Sydney – Sapporo route existed between 2019 and 2020, it was operated three times a week using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Prior to that, Qantas served Sapporo in the 1990s with a route from Cairns.
Currently, Qantas serves Tokyo Haneda twice a day from Sydney and Tokyo Narita daily from Brisbane and Melbourne. Passengers traveling on those flights are able to connect to Sapporo and other Hokkaido cities using Qantas’ oneworld alliance partner Japan Airlines’ flights from Haneda and Jetstar Japan flights from Narita.
Qantas is just one of the several foreign airlines reported to have axed their plans to expand Japan service due to fuel and staff shortages.