British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have announced the resumption of flights to mainland China after a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic. Flights between Heathrow and Shanghai will be operated by British Airways from April 23 and by Virgin Atlantic from May 1 - by which time, it said, it would be 859 days since flights were suspended.
British Airways will reopen its Heathrow to Beijing route from June 3. The airline began operating a regular passenger service to China in 1980 and continued doing so until the sharp drop in demand caused by the virus crisis.
Flights are being restarted following a relaxation of China’s travel restrictions, with borders reopened to foreign nationals for the first time since 2020. Western airlines have been reluctant to resume operations to and from Asia because of tough rules for visitors.
