Ski express: Qantas launches direct flights to Sapporo
The seasonal route gives Australians a quicker way to get to Japan’s iconic snowfields.

Qantas will launch direct flights between Sydney and Sapporo in December 2025, making it easier for Australian powder-hounds to experience one of the world’s best snowfields.
The airline is betting the Australian appetite for some winter skiing will align with the weakened state of the Japanese Yen, which adds extra appeal to travellers looking to make the most of their holiday on the slopes – especially compared to the ski fields of the USA, Canada and Europe, where the Aussie dollar faces more of a handicap.
Flight QF107 will run three times a week - on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday – between 15 December 2025 and 28 March 2026, with a morning departure from Sydney and a nearly 11-hour flight time seeing it reach Sapporo in the early evening.
Flights are expected to go on sale today, Monday January 20 – and while we expect there’ll be plenty of Classic Plus reward seats available to book using Qantas Points, the same can probably not be said for the original and best-value Classic seats.
Qantas is rostering its workhorse Airbus A330 on the seasonal route, with flatbed business class suites and economy recliners – but no premium economy, alas.
Passengers can bring skis and snowboards as part of their checked baggage allowance.
Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport is a popular gateway to Hokkaido’s many ski resorts, including Niseko, Furano, Rusutsu and Kiroro.
Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is renowned for drifts of powder snow driven by cold winds from Siberia which dump consistent dry snow on Hokkaido’s mountains.
The new Qantas flights will also coincide with the week-long Sapporo Snow Festival, held every February and renowned for incredible ice sculptures.
Qantas last flew between Sydney and Sapporo in early 2020, before the pandemic set in, and Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace says the airline is “looking forward to operating this route again.”
“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 flight 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.”
The Sydney-Sapporo route is Qantas’ fifth service to Japan and the only one not bound for Tokyo.
However, its Tokyo flights are set for a shake-up which will see Tokyo’s Haneda Airport take over from the more distant Narita Airport for all but one of the two Sydney flights, which is expected to change from Sydney-Haneda to Sydney-Narita.
Read more: Coming soon: Qantas’ big shake-up of Tokyo flights
08 Feb 2018
Total posts 171
‘Re’-launches!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Sep 2021
Total posts 22
I see the 6:40 AM Departure from HND to SYD is often heavily discounted.
What was QF thinking? It must have been the only slot available, or very cheap.
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