Jake Nelson

Hainan Airlines has restarted twice-weekly Airbus A330 return services between Melbourne and Haikou, meaning almost all eight of the mainland Chinese carriers that operated to Melbourne before COVID-19 have come back to the airport. The flights will expand capacity between Melbourne and China by more than 1200 seats per week.

The low-cost carrier will operate three return flights per week from Sydney to Rarotonga using its Airbus A321neo LR (NEO) aircraft, with the first flight taking off for Avarua last Thursday night as JQ141 on board VH-OFS.

The airline pulled out of Whyalla at the start of this month amid a stoush with the local council over passing on increased costs of security screenings to airlines.

From February, the low-cost carrier will operate a return flight from Sydney or Brisbane to the South Korean capital every day as it launches a service departing Sydney on Mondays and returning on Tuesdays. The flights will add an extra 30,000 seats to the route per year.

Gate 3 at the airport will handle all Rex and Link Airways flights with fewer than 40 passengers, which do not require security screening, after federal funding for screening processes at regional airports ends on July 1. Qantas passengers will continue to use the screened departure gate.

The low-cost carrier’s problems with cancellations are compounded because it mostly flies ‘low frequency’ routes not serviced by its rivals – meaning customers often struggle to find alternative transport home.