BA and Virgin to restart flights to China after three years as Beijing welcomes back visitors
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have announced they will return to China for the first time in three years following Beijing’s reopening.
Richard Branson’s airline – which stopped operating flights into China in December 2020 – announced today it will resume daily flights between Heathrow and Shanghai from 1 May.
Meanwhile British Airways (BA) will start flying to Shanghai from 23 April, with weekly services to Beijing following suit from 3 June.
The companies have followed in the footsteps of rivals such as Air France, which is already operating weekly flights to mainland China and Hong Kong. The French carrier announced late last week it will ramp up its schedule with daily services to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai from 1 July.
Both BA and Virgin said they reopened the route after the Chinese government decided in early December to scrap its zero-Covid policy and reopen its borders.
“The return of our Shanghai services has been a long-time coming and I’m delighted it’s finally a reality,” said Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen.
“Shanghai is the final route to return following the global pandemic, restoring our flying programme to full capacity.”
Interactive Investor’s head of investment Victoria Scholar said China’s reopening could “provide a significant tailwind” for the two carriers.
“BA and Virgin look set to pounce on this opportunity with the potential surge in demand for international travel again from the world’s second largest economy,” she told City PM
“The post-pandemic economic normalisation in China could provide a significant tailwind to companies like BA and Virgin, giving them access to a previously shut pool of potential flyers and a key international tourist destination.”
The announcement comes months after Virgin Atlantic shut its Hong Kong route for good after 30 years.
The carrier announced in October it would cease all operations due – among other factors – to the closure of Russia’s airspace.