Australia is one of the top travel destination for Chinese tourists travelling abroad. Hence it was a very big blow for the Aussie tourism industry and airports to absorb when all flights came to an abrupt stop in 2020 as travel restrictions were imposed. However that all seems now just a distant memory. The last of the Chinese carriers that used to serve Sydney Airport (SYD) prior to 2020 has returned. Here’s all you need to know about this story and service.
- All Chinese Carriers Return to Sydney Airport
- How Sichuan Airlines Flight 3U3883 Chengdu to Sydney will Operate
- The Aircraft For Flight 3U3883 Chengdu to Sydney
8 Out of 8: All Chinese Carriers Return to Sydney Airport
This is some great news for Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport. Finally with Sichuan Airlines returning the lineup of mainland China airlines offering flights is once again at the same level as it was in 2019.
There are now, as in 2019, 8 mainland Chinese airlines serving Sydney airport. The list includes:
- Air China
- Beijing Capital Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- Sichuan Airlines
- Tianjin Airlines
- Xiamen Airlines
Along with these 8 airlines Qantas also offers direct flights to mainland China bringing the grand total of weekly connections to 85. The services offered translate to having recovered 86% of seat capacity when comparing to pre-2020 levels.
How Sichuan Airlines Flight 3U3883 Chengdu to Sydney will Operate
The schedule of this new Sichuan Airlines flight 3U3883 isn’t exactly the most jam packed during the typical week. The Chinese airline will only be operating initially a 1 weekly flight between China and Australia. Flights will be initially active only on Fridays. Due to the quite unique scheduling both flights will be early morning/night flights. Specifically here’s how 3U3883 flight from Chengdu to Sydney will operate:
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | Flight Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 3U3883 | Chengdu | TFU | 01:35 | Sydney | SYD | 15:35 | 11hr 00min |
| 3U3884 | Sydney | SYD | 20:50 | Chengdu | TFU | 05:20+1 | 11hr 30min |
The Aircraft For Flight 3U3883 Chengdu to Sydney
Sichuan Airlines flight 3U3883 will be operated using the backbone of the carrier’s long haul operations, the Airbus A330. Specifically the A330-200 variant which seats alternatively up to 274 or 245 passengers on a full load in a 2 class configuration. Business class seats become fully flat beds but are in a quite outdated 2-2-2 layout, while economy class is in a very standard 2-4-2 A330 layout.
Who knows if the Chengdu to Sydney flight performs well it might get a frequency upgrade or even a larger plane on it as Sichuan Airlines also operates the A350-900. Currently this plane is used to serve destinations in Russia, Turkey and Canada.
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