• New seasonal route between Sydney and Sapporo
• 100th destination in the Qantas network
• Qantas to fly over 850,000 seats per year to Japan

Qantas has today announced direct seasonal flights from Sydney to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, providing Australians with the only nonstop connection between the two cities and catering to the growing demand for travel to Japan’s iconic snowfields. 

Sapporo will become the airline’s 100th destination, with flights to commence just in time for the peak ski season. Services will operate three times per week from 15 December 2025 to 28 March 2026*, with the airline’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft and offer more than 20,000 seats on the route across the northern ski season.  

Departing Sydney in the morning and arriving at Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport early evening, the new nonstop flight will save Australians several hours compared to existing one-stop options and enable same-day travel to popular ski resorts Niseko, Furano, Rusutsu and Kiroro. Skiers will also be able to enjoy a morning on the slopes before departing for Sydney in the evening. 

Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is renowned for its dry powder snow, vibrant village centres and famous hot spring towns like Noboribetsu and Jozankei. The new Qantas flights will also coincide with the Sapporo Snow Festival.  

Return Economy fares from Sydney to Sapporo will be available at qantas.com later this morning and include checked baggage allowance, food and beverages and inflight entertainment. 

The new Sapporo service marks the airline’s fourth route to Japan, complementing double daily flights from Sydney to Tokyo Haneda and daily services from Melbourne and Brisbane to Tokyo Narita. Qantas is the only airline that connects Australia’s three largest cities with Tokyo.  

The Qantas Group now offers eight routes and over 1.5 million seats between Australia and Japan every year: 

Comments from Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace: 

“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.” 

Launch imagery available here.  

Key information

• QF107 Sydney to Sapporo operates three times per week, departing on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Flight time is approximately 10 hours and 50 minutes.
• Qantas services between Sydney and Sapporo are operated by its fleet of Airbus A332 aircraft with 27 business class suites in 1-2-1 configuration, each featuring direct aisle access and converting into a lie-flat bed, and 228 economy seats.
• All Qantas international fares include checked baggage allowance, food and beverages and inflight entertainment with every booking.

*Subject to government and regulatory approval.