UK airlines recommence direct flights to Shanghai

British Airways, the United Kingdom's flag carrier airline, was to resume its daily flight to Shanghai on Sunday, two years after its direct flights to China were halted because of the pandemic.

The airline announced the flight resumption on Feb 2, one month after China lifted its travel restrictions, including quarantine requirements for inbound travelers, that had been in place for three years.

British Airways' flights to Beijing are to resume from June 3, running four times a week.

"We can't wait to welcome our customers back on board our flights from Shanghai and Beijing," said Noella Ferns, British Airways' head of sales for the Asia Pacific region. "We know they've been looking forward to reuniting with family and friends, coming to study in the UK, and resuming business between China and the UK. We have an incredibly rich history of flying to China, having connected the two countries for more than 40 years. We look forward to resuming these routes again."

Li Cong, a Chinese student studying in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said, "I booked a ticket as soon as I saw the news. I first bought a connecting flight to Hong Kong. But I prefer direct service as it is more convenient. So even though I had some money deducted from my refunded ticket, I still choose this flight."

Xin Xia, another passenger, applauded British Airways' move: "I hope more direct flights will be available to make it easier for people to travel between the two countries."

Another British airline, Virgin Atlantic, says it will resume daily services to Shanghai from May 1.

Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer of Virgin Atlantic, said he is delighted the return of the Shanghai service as a "longtime coming" has finally become a reality.

"We're looking forward to welcoming our customers back on board and providing vital links to one of the UK's largest trading partners, for both passenger and cargo services."

In addition to the UK, airlines on the continent are also scaling up their capacity to China.

KLM Royal Dutch Airline and Air France will increase service from Amsterdam and Paris to Beijing and Shanghai to a daily flight during the summer flight season.

Lufthansa of Germany says it will double its flights to the Chinese mainland from five a week to nine a week.

A report last month by the European Travel Commission forecast that long-haul travel between China and Europe would reach 60 to 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels this year. A full recovery to 2019 levels is not expected until 2026 as restoring the confidence of long-haul travelers takes time, the report said.

Tom Jenkins, chief executive officer of the European Tourism Association, said: "The arrival of the Chinese visitors transformed some destinations in Europe. Their absence since 2019 has been sorely missed."

However, there are many barriers to a full recovery, he said, including increased fuel costs, reduced capacity in Europe, the issuance of passports and the global political situation.