Direct charter flights between Birmingham and China set to begin this summer
DIRECT charter flights between Birmingham and China are set to begin this summer; in doing so Birmingham will become the first UK airport outside London to offer such services.
The Beijing flights – announced at The MIPIM international property show in Cannes – are a joint initiative between Birmingham Airport, China Southern Airlines, Caissa Travel Management Co Ltd and Birmingham China specialist agency, United Travel.
The partnership said the new services were in response to the enormous demand for more flights between the two countries.
The new flights have been welcomed by Culture Secretary Maria Miller, who said: “This is great news for Birmingham and Britain. China is a vital trade and tourism partner for us and opening up this new route will encourage even more Chinese visitors to fly to our country and experience more of what our great nation has to offer outside of the capital – from tourist attractions to shopping, culture to heritage. The new route will provide great investment and job opportunities for businesses in Birmingham and the Midlands.”
The flights, which will begin in July, have been made possible following the £40m extension to Birmingham’s runway. The extension, which will be formally opened next month, will enable long-haul airlines to use Birmingham as an alternative gateway to the UK.
The summer programme will involve direct flights operated by China Southern Airlines arriving from Beijing into Birmingham between July 2 and August 6. Caissa, one of China’s leading travel specialists, will sell a range of organised package tours to Chinese visitors seeking to explore the world class tourism attractions in the Midlands, the North of England and London. China Southern Airlines will operate a 248 seat A330-200 aircraft on the route.
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s chief executive, said: “Today’s announcement is a result of three years’ collaborative working with Birmingham City Council, Marketing Birmingham, VisitBritain and Shakespeare’s England to establish relationships in China and promote the many jewels that the Midlands has to offer, such as The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Warwick Castle, Bicester Village and the city of Birmingham itself.
“There is an alternative gateway into the UK for those wanting to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Birmingham – destinations that make this country great. This partnership also demonstrates that the demand is there from passengers across the UK who want long-haul flights to places like China from their nearest gateway.”
China is currently one of the fastest growing visitor source markets for the UK tourism industry at a rate of 20% year-on-year over the past few years. The size of the market has tripled over the past decade, and it is forecast to continue to grow strongly for the remainder of the decade. In 2012 the Chinese visitor market was worth £15m to the West Midlands economy, with Birmingham now the fourth most popular destination for Chinese visitors in England.
