SHENZEN AIRLINES: Flies to Melbourne from 23 December 2025

By the end of 2025, Australian travellers bound for China will have even more choice in airlines, schedules and fares. Shenzhen Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance, will become the tenth Chinese carrier to operate flights to the Australian market. It has scheduled three weekly flights between Shenzhen and Melbourne, starting from 23 December 2025, using Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

A Crowded Chinese Sky

Melbourne is already served by the following Chinese airlines: China Eastern, China Southern, Beijing Capital Airlines, Air China, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, and Juneyao Air. According to data collected by the Federal government, the average seat utilisation rate is 81.2%.

With Shenzhen Airlines joining the mix, Australia–China looks like it is about to become the country’s most competitive long-haul international market. For passengers, competition means good prices, as well as a range of service levels. It might be worth grasping the China iron while it is hot!

Open Skies

This level of competition can be attributed to Australia’s open skies policy on routes to China. It will add Shenzhen to the direct routes from Melbourne to China. Shenzhen is located on the ‘China side’ of Hong Kong, forming a rough triangle with Macau, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen, all situated in China’s southern region.

Australia-China travel on the increase

The announcement comes just as short-term visits to China by Australians grow at three times the rate of inbound Chinese travel to Australia.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data for June show that 49,890 Australians returned from short trips to China, up 27% from the same period in 2024. China ranks as the sixth most visited overseas destination by Australians, behind Indonesia, New Zealand, the UK, Japan and the US.

The introduction of visa-free travel in November 2024 has been helpful. This allows Australians to travel to China for up to 30 days for tourism or business without paying the previous AU$109.50 visa fee.

Family tourism remains the cornerstone, but the holiday market is gaining momentum, thanks to the increased ease of travel and improved diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.

Uneven traffic

While Australians might be flocking to China, tourism in the other direction has been slower to recover. In June, 60,200 Chinese travellers arrived in Australia. Although a small increase, that’s still well down on the 2019 figure of 80,680.

Part of the reason is cost and paperwork. Unlike Australians, Chinese travellers must still pay AU$200 for an Australian visitor visa. That applies to individuals and groups. The tourism Industry sees it as a barrier that continues to suppress inbound demand. A recently launched Tourism Australia $130 million China campaign, featuring Robert Irwin and Yosh Yu, might help.

2PAXfly Takeout

I haven’t been to China for a while. That was partly due to the difficulties in Australia-China relations, as well as the tensions between China and Hong Kong.

China is a fascinating country, and I feel I have only scratched the surface, despite a trip down the Yangtze, visiting Xian, Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau.

I’ve put China back on the agenda, given the competitive airfares and visa-free entry.