China Eastern to suspend flights to Cairns

Flights by China Eastern Airlines between Shanghai and the Australian resort of Cairns will be suspended from Tuesday due to low profit margins, sources said.

The suspension will last from Aug 13 to Oct 30.

China Eastern operates three flights to Cairns every week, Guangzhou-based newspaper New Express reported on Friday.

Kathy Zhang, general manager of China Eastern's Australia division, said the carrier is still unsure about when the flights will resume.

Chinese travelers are the second largest source for Cairns tourism. More than 685,000 Chinese tourists visited Cairns over the last twelve months to June, up 17.5 percent year-on-year.