Direct air links between Manchester and Beijing, China, will resume on Monday for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it's been confirmed. Hainan Airlines has announced it will restart its Beijing-Manchester service, with weekly arrivals and departures every Monday.
The airline started flights from Manchester Airport in 2016, with bosses saying the route helped to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds in trade, investment and tourism benefits.
The airport said the UK and Chinese governments last week agreed Manchester-China was one of the air corridors that could resume after a two-and-a-half year hiatus. The move by Hainan marks the start of the busy student season.
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Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: "The announcement is clear evidence of the vital economic role that Manchester Airport plays, both in the North and the UK as a whole, as we emerge from the pandemic.
"Prior to 2020, the Hainan service provided vital connectivity to one of the world’s most important economies and I am sure this news will be welcomed by the hundreds of thousands of people across the North who travel to and from China each year.
"It is extremely positive to see critical routes like this return to our departure boards and we look forward to working closely with Hainan Airlines to build on the previous success of this route."
The airport said pre-pandemic, around 100,000 people a year travelled between Manchester and Beijing from the airport's catchment area. Studies, added bosses, showed the route led to a 38 per cent increase in Chinese visitors to the North, with an average spend per visit increasing by 94 per cent and export values growing by 41 per cent.
The return of the route is also likely to be encouraging for the more than 40 universities across the airport's catchment area that welcome thousands of Chinese students each year.
Due to policy in China, the outbound service to Beijing will initially stop in the Chinese city of Dalian, but the inbound service will be direct from Beijing. From October the service will operate on a Tuesday.
Tao Zhu, the CEO of Hainan Airlines, said: "It is great to bring Hainan Airlines back to Manchester. Hainan Airlines is a 5-star Skytrax rated airline and we will operate an A330 aircraft on the route offering both economy and business classes. The flight arrives in Manchester at 10am each Monday and departs at 3pm.
"At the beginning of the resumption of flight, it will travel via Dalian first. After completing the seven days quarantine, passengers will be able to fly to other destinations within China according to their preferences."
Zheng Xiyuan, Consul General of the People's Republic of China to Manchester, said: "On 23 October 2015, President Xi Jinping announced at Manchester Airport that Hainan Airlines would launch a direct flight from Beijing to Manchester, which would build a new bridge of co-operation between the two cities and the two countries.
"The route was suspended due to Covid-19, but even so, Hainan Airlines continued to send tens of thousands of Chinese students to Manchester on charter flights during the pandemic. Used mainly by Chinese students, the route is their way to pursue knowledge and their way home, and the bridge of white clouds carrying the longing of countless parents for their children, and the profound friendship between Chinese people and British people. "
Joanne Roney, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, added: "The agreement to reopen the air link between Manchester and Beijing is really encouraging and should fill us with optimism that we are continuing on a positive track of economic recovery following the pandemic.
"This route is hugely important for trade and tourism for both Manchester and the North as a whole. It's worth hundreds of millions of pounds to our collective economies and it has a global significance for our region as the UK's only direct link to mainland China outside of the capital.
"We also have a large number of students in the city who will rely on this link with China through Manchester Airport, and it will be welcome news that their route between home and university is open once again for the first time since the 2020."
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