Qantas staff from the Tokyo Office have attended the launch of the Australian Pavilion at Aichi World Expo 2005, held at the residence of the Australian Ambassador to Japan, Mr John McCarthy. Qantas and Australian Airlines are Leadership Sponsors of the Pavilion. Australian Olympian, Ian Thorpe was present at the event, which also launched the Pavilion Attendant uniforms and the winner of the 'Name the Mascot' competition that was promoted heavily across Japan.Qantas will begin flying between Australia and Shanghai from 2 December with new two-class Airbus A330-300s fitted with the award winning sleeper seat Skybed. The 10-hour non-stop service will operate three times per week between Sydney and Shanghai, with an international connection from Melbourne. The new services to the world's most populous nation are expected to provide a boost to business travel and tourism between the two countries