News

The first service out of Shanghai will touch down at 7:30am on Sunday, 21 June before departing at 9:30am the same morning.

China Eastern will operate the connection with an Airbus A350-900. The wide-bodied aircraft offers 286 seats across economy and business classes, and about 15-tonnes of freight capacity on each approximately 10-hour flight.

The historic flights are set to unlock new opportunities for South Australian businesses by providing unprecedented access to the financial and economic capital of China.

Direct flights will enable South Australian exporters to send their products by air freight to the most populous city within the state’s largest trading partner.

To leverage this new market access, the South Australian Government’s Department of State Development will be supporting South Australian exporters at major events including the China Food & Drinks Fair in Chengdu in March 2026.

An ongoing promotional campaign, supported by China Eastern Airlines, will also boost awareness for South Australian products in China.

The release of ticket sales comes after the latest ABS export stats revealed air freight is flying out of Adelaide Airport at record levels, reaching $351.1 million worth of goods (up 86 per cent) in the year to November 2025.

The speed of direct air freight, which removes lengthy layovers, is crucial for lobster exporters like Ferguson Australia - who last year signed a $40 million Memorandum of Understanding with China Eastern Airlines’ Cold Chain Logistics company.

China remains South Australia’s largest trading partner, with latest ABS figures showing $3.5 billion worth of our goods were exported to China over the past 12 months, including $134 million of seafood (up 770 per cent).