British Airways will also fly to Chengdu from 2012, following the launch of new flights by Qatar Airways next March and flights operated already by KLM out of Europe and Etihad out of Abu Dhabi.
CHENGDU- British Airways will open a new direct flight between London Heathrow and Chengdu in southwest China starting from Sept. 22, 2013, a company executive announced last week.
The airline will offer three round-trip flights each week on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft between Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and London, said Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG, the parent company of British Airways.
Walsh said he believes direct services linking the two economic powerhouses will be widely welcomed by passengers. The direct flight will not only bring conveniences to passengers, but also help to boost economic and cultural exchanges between Britain and Sichuan Province, as well as China’s central and western regions, said Li Wei, chairman of Sichuan Airport Group Co., Ltd.
A few weeks ago, British Airways also launched flights to Seoul Incheon, out of London Heathrow.
The Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport currently accommodates flights to 49 major cities worldwide, including 27 that are linked by direct flights. It is expected that Sichuan Airlines will soon announced to fly directly to Paris.
Last year Chengdu international airport recorded grew to 29.07 million, a 12.7 per cent annual growth. In the past couple of weeks, Chengdu International Airport celebrated handling its 30 millionth passenger of 2012. The airport is now the fifth largest in China in total passengers only overpassed by Beijing Capital International, Guangzhou Baiyun, Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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