Hainan Airlines currently operates direct service linking Manchester Airport and Beijing-Capital Airport four times weekly. That’s going to increase in Summer 2024.
Hainan Airlines Airbus A330 – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Between June to September 2024, passengers will be able to travel to and from Beijing on any day of the week, as the flight will operate daily .
Passengers will be able to enjoy the comforts of the airline’s Airbus A330 aircraft during the 10-hour journey, which will depart at 12.15 pm each day. Tickets in economy and business class for summer 2024 are now on sale.
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. It was suspended during the pandemic, but it seems that trade is enough that the airline is happy to try operating daily for part of the summer season.
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.
In Quotes
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 Hainan 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.”
Life in a Northern Town (or Life beyond Heathrow)
There’s a song reference in that title.
The question of demand is an interesting one – as there is clearly some sort of demand for travellers between the two route pairs (and as I’ve gone at pains to say in the past, there is life beyond London).
There’s always been a demand as such, and normally that’s filled in either with the current four-weekly service or by passengers taking one hop to another city (eg London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha for example).
It seems Hianan Airlines wants to dig into the market to establish itself as “the” way between Manchester and Bejing Capital, capturing both visitors and the diaspora in the region.
We’ll have to see what happens in the winter season – and if the volume of bookings merits an increase in service beyond Summer 2024.
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