Passengers using London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) will benefit from a wider choice of flights between the airport and mainland China from the summer of 2024. Both Air China and China Southern have announced extra services serving the London airport, adding 10 additional services per week between the airport and Chinese destinations.
From June 1, 2024, China’s nationally owned flag carrier Air China will begin operating daily flights from London-Gatwick to Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) using its fleet of A330-300 aircraft. Additionally, China Southern then launches its new three-per-week service to Guangzhou (CAN) on June 20, 2024, using Boeing 787-8s.
While Beijing is the capital city of China and home to an estimated 22 million people, Guangzhou is China’s fifth-largest city, with a population of around 14 million. It is also in the top 25 largest cities in the world. It is the capital of Guangdong province in southern China and home to some of the country’s most prestigious universities.
The new flights will take London-Gatwick’s combined number of weekly services to China to 26. The new services will supplement the existing flights that serve Shanghai (PVG) operated by China Eastern and Air China and Zhengzhou (CGO) flown by China Southern.
The range of flights on offer to Chinese destinations in Summer 2024 combined with services operated by Air India, Emirates, Saudia, and Qatar Airways, alongside a new Singapore Airlines service to Singapore and flights to Baku operated by Azerbaijan Airlines means there will be a total of 85 aircraft per week heading to Asia from London-Gatwick during the summer 2024 season.
According to London-Gatwick Airport, the additional routes will “support not only passenger journeys but also regional and national trade opportunities”. In 2023, the United Kingdom exported £37.5 billion ($47.6 bn) worth of goods and services to China – a figure that represents a substantial 11.9% increase over 2022.
The new flights from Beijing and Guangzhou will also provide an economic boost to the tourism industry across London and the South East, with Chinese visitors spending £1,937 ($2,460) per visit to the UK and £1.71 billion ($2.17bn) in total in 2019 before the pandemic, according to the Visit Britain tourist authority.
“These new services to China are fantastic news for both passengers and businesses across London and the Southeast, providing greater opportunities for tourism and trade,” said Stephanie Wear, VP of Aviation Development at London-Gatwick Airport.
“Having welcomed both Air China and China Southern to the airport last year, the additional routes highlight the carriers’ commitment to growth at London Gatwick. Alongside China Eastern, we are delighted to continue growing these positive relationships with China’s three largest airlines. We can’t wait for these new services to take off and we look forward to developing our long-haul offer from London Gatwick across key markets like Asia,” she added.
London-Gatwick is the UK’s second-largest airport and the world’s busiest single-runway airport. More than 40 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 45 long-haul destinations.
Along with attracting new international airlines to its facilities, London-Gatwick is also investing in its long-term future and its planning application to bring the airport’s northern relief runway into regular use has recently been accepted for further consideration by the HM Planning Inspectorate.