After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the two airlines will resume regular routes to two of China’s most populous cities.
British Airways, which has been running flights to China since 1980, was forced to stop this particular route due to the pandemic. With China being the epicentre of the virus and imposing some of the world’s strictest regulations, the country only last month relaxed restrictions and opened up to international visitors. The airline will be restarting its flights to between Heathrow and Shanghai from April 23 and flights to Beijing will begin on June 3.
Virgin Atlantic, which also paused flights to China more than two years ago, will also return to a regular service between Heathrow and Shanghai beginning on May 1. For Virgin Atlantic, the route to Shanghai is their final route to resume following the pandemic, meaning all routes with the airline are now open.
Both airlines’ flights to Shanghai will be daily routes, allowing a regular route for frequent travellers to the country, and British Airways’ flights to Beijing will operate four times per week. Fares for British Airways flights start at £535 return and £669 for Virgin Atlantic, with both already available to book online. Those wishing to travel on either route should be aware that the flights will now be two hours longer than usual, as the airlines are forced to avoid Russian airspace during the journey. Virgin Atlantic is making additional changes to its flight schedules this year by doubling capacity on its routes to Tel Aviv, while also opening new routes to the Maldives and Turks & Caicos.
Many international airlines have been slow to resume routes to China, due to the varied restrictions for tourists entering the country even since it reopened to visitors last month. Not only did this have a significant impact on tourism in China, but also on airlines who fly to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. People living in China were initially also unable to leave the country due to extensive lockdowns, and as Chinese tourists make up a huge proportion of the industry worldwide, particularly in European countries and neighbouring Hong Kong, many operators and tour providers took a hit.
A large number of Chinese citizens live or work in Hong Kong and vice versa, and many more commute for work across the border at Macau. British Airways finally resumed flights to Hong Kong on December 5 last year, however, the border between China and Hong Kong only opened for residents and citizens in February 2023.
