Jake Nelson

The carrier, one of China’s “big four”, touched down at Adelaide Airport as flight MU781 at 6:47am on Sunday, operated by the A350-900 B-32FP. China Eastern will operate three flights per week until August, then return in December.

The specially configured planes, which will fly from Sydney to London starting in October 2027 with Sydney to New York to follow, will carry just 238 seats, including six in first-class, 52 in business, 40 in premium economy, and 140 in economy including Economy Plus.

The Weapon Fill Measurement Vehicle (WFMV) flight test, conducted in late April, “marked a significant advancement in Australia’s ability to integrate weapons onto the F-35A Lightning II faster and more efficiently”, according to Defence.

The airline, which held $93 million in unused credits as of February, will allow passengers to use them for travel bookings up to 27 May 2027, though the booking deadline remains at 30 June this year. The credits were issued between 2020 and 2022 for flights impacted by the pandemic.

In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for May 2026, Airservices Australia said that while aviation had shown “ongoing resilience and flexibility” during the Iran conflict, the war had caused “real pressure on the sector” as it stretched past 100 days.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson revealed the news at Airbus’ factory in Toulouse, alongside the livery of the Flying Kangaroo’s first A350-1000ULR, VH-OJA, which will be dubbed “Vega”. Sydney-London will be followed by Sydney-New York, with London services to go on sale in February.