Sydney has welcomed back all eight Chinese airlines that were operating before COVID-19.

In November, there will be 86% as many seats available from Sydney airport to mainland China as there were before COVID-19.

On 30 October, flight 3U3883 from Chengdu landed at Sydney Airport, marking the return of Sichuan Airlines.

The inaugural flight into Sydney by the airline was in December 2013, with services pausing from early February 2020, when Covid travel restrictions began in China.

Eight Chinese airlines have resumed service to Sydney since China started lifting Covid travel restrictions in January, with Sichuan Airlines being the final one.

At the start of the year, just three Chinese airlines were operating four round-trip services between Sydney and mainland China.

In November, Qantas will join eight other Chinese airlines in providing 85 weekly return services between Sydney and the mainland.

If you’re looking for nonstop service between Sydney and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwestern China, Sichuan Airlines is the only choice.

Chengdu is a major commercial and financial centre and the fourth-largest city in China. Tourists go there to see the giant pandas and enjoy the region’s stunning scenery and delicious spicy hotpot.

The airline offers three weekly return flights, increasing to five per week from 19 November.

Air China, Beijing Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Qantas, Sichuan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines also operate direct services from Sydney to mainland China.