From December 15, 2025, through March 28, 2026, Qantas will operate three weekly flights between Sydney and Sapporo in Japan. The route will operate with an Airbus A330-200 featuring 27 lie-flat Business Class and 228 Economy Class seats.
On Monday (January 20, 2025), Qantas announced the launch of new seasonal service between Sydney and Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport in Japan. The route will operate three times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from December 15, 2025, through March 28, 2026, with an Airbus A330-200, featuring 27 fully lie-flat Business Class and 228 Economy Class seats. Qantas’ new Sapporo service is the only nonstop connection from Sydney, and will cater to the growing demand for travel to Japan’s iconic snowfields. Sapporo is the carrier’s fourth route to Japan, complementing existing double daily flights from Sydney to Tokyo Haneda, and daily service to from Melbourne and Brisbane to Tokyo Narita.
In Monday’s announcement, Qantas International’s CEO, Cam Wallace, said,
“We know Sapporo is an extremely popular winter destination for Aussies who love the snow and we’re excited to make it even easier for them to reach Hokkaido’s world-class ski resorts with a direct fight from Sydney. These new flights will save passengers hours of travel time compared to connecting in Tokyo or other cities and give them more time to enjoy on the slopes.
“Australians’ love affair with Japan is stronger-than-ever so it is fitting that Sapporo will also mark the 100th destination in the Qantas network, following the great new destinations we added last year like Paris, Palau and Port Vila. We last flew to Sapporo in early-2020 and had extremely positive feedback from customers, so we’re looking forward to operating this route again.”
Qantas’ new Sapporo flights will depart Sydney in the morning and arrive at Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport in early evening, saving Australians several hours versus the existing one-stop connection. The connection will allow same-day travel to popular ski resorts, including Niseko, Furano, Rusutsu and Kiroro. Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island, and is known for its dry powder snow, vibrant village centers, and famous hot springs such as Noboribetsu and Jozankei. The launch of Qantas’ new service will also coincide with the Sapporo Snow Festival.
Source: Qantas