Manchester Airport will operate daily flights to Beijing next summer, nearly doubling its capacity to the Chinese capital.
Hainan Airlines’ direct service linking Manchester and Beijing currently runs four times weekly. From June to September 2024, passengers will be able to travel to and from Beijing on any day of the week.
Passengers will fly on an Airbus A330 aircraft for the 10-hour journey, which will depart at 12.15pm each day.
Manchester became the first UK hub outside of London to gain a direct flight to mainland China when Hainan Airlines launched its service to Beijing in 2016.
The route provides a key economic boost to the north. The airline’s partnership with Loganair means passengers from other UK regions can also benefit from these links, with tickets available from Aberdeen, Inverness, the Isle of Man and Newquay to Beijing with a simple airside transfer at Manchester.
A report issued two years later showed the flights had almost doubled the amount of money spent in the North by Chinese tourists and had increased the number of Chinese students at the region’s universities by around nine per cent, more than double the national average.
Export values from Manchester Airport to China also rose 41%, against the backdrop of a 30% drop in the national average.
The region’s tourism bodies, and academic institutions expect the commencement of daily summer flights to provide a further boost.
Connecting Manchester and China
Chris Woodroofe, Manchester Airport managing director, said: “We are proud to connect the North to the world – and to connect the world to the north.
“From next summer, we will become the only UK airport outside London offering daily direct flights to mainland China, meaning we are able to connect the people of the region to one of the most important economies in the world, and vice versa.
“Hainan Airlines’ decision to operate a daily Beijing flight from Manchester is testament to the success of the current service. More than 350,000 passengers have used it since it was first launched seven years ago.
“We know the route is also extremely popular with Chinese visitors. We are a gateway to some of the most vibrant cities and beautiful countryside the UK has to offer, and the daily service is fantastic news for tourism, businesses, and Universities across our region – as well as for Manchester’s Chinese community.”
Peter Han, general manager of Haian Airlines UK, said: “We are thrilled to be almost doubling capacity on our Manchester to Beijing service next summer with a daily flight.
“There is a lot of demand for travel between the North of England and China, in both directions. This expansion of our service will allow us to meet demand over the busy summer season and marks an exciting new chapter for our operation at Manchester Airport.”
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