Qantas Boosts Sapporo Service Capacity by 50% Amid Japan Travel Surge

2026-02-01 companies

Sydney, Sunday, 1 February 2026.
Responding to record demand, Qantas will add 10,000 seats to its Sapporo route for the 2026/27 season, a fifty percent capacity increase targeting the booming ski tourism market.

Strategic Network Expansion

Qantas (ASX: QAN) has confirmed a significant operational expansion for its seasonal service between Sydney and Sapporo, aiming to secure a dominant position in the lucrative Japan ski market. Following a successful relaunch of the route in December 2025, the carrier will increase flight frequencies for the 2026/27 Northern Hemisphere winter season [2][5]. The new schedule, running from December 7, 2026, to March 31, 2027, will see weekly flights rise from the current three to a peak of five during the high-demand holiday period [2][3]. This adjustment represents a peak frequency increase of 66.667 percent compared to the current schedule.

Surging Demand for Japan

The decision to boost capacity is underpinned by robust data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), which revealed that over one million Australians visited Japan in 2025 [3][5]. This figure represents a 15 percent year-on-year increase, highlighting the sustained momentum of Japan as a primary leisure destination for Australians [1][3]. The demand is particularly acute during the school holiday window; in December 2025 alone, 121,300 visitors traveled to the country [3]. Qantas remains the sole carrier offering a non-stop link between Sydney and Sapporo, a factor that positions it advantageously against competitors requiring stopovers [3][5].

Operational Specifics and Economic Implications

For the upcoming season, the service will utilize widebody aircraft, identified by industry sources as Airbus A330s [5][6], though one report mentions the Boeing 787 [1]. Flight QF107 is scheduled to depart Sydney at 09:05, arriving in Sapporo at 18:00, while the return leg, QF108, departs Sapporo at 19:40 for an 08:35 arrival in Sydney the following day [5]. Tickets for the expanded 2026/27 season are set to go on sale during the week commencing February 2, 2026, with return economy fares starting from AUD $1,473 [1][3]. Beyond passenger traffic, the increased frequency is expected to bolster freight logistics, specifically opening new opportunities for Hokkaido’s seafood exports bound for Sydney markets [1].

Sources

Aviation industry Winter tourism