British Airways to suspend London to Chengdu flights

British Airways is suspending its regular London to Chengdu flight in January after having tested the waters for three years, despite booming numbers of people traveling between the UK and China.


A BA spokeswoman confirmed the news to China Daily on Tuesday.


"We have a proud tradition of flying to China but, despite operating this route for three years, it is not commercially viable," she said, requesting anonymity.


The final service from Heathrow will be on Jan 12 and the last BA fl ight out of Chengdu will be on Jan 13. BA added the London-Chengdu flight in 2013, initially flying the route five times a week. It reduced the service to three fl ights a week in 2014.


Meanwhile, BA also flies from London directly to Hong Kong and also to Shanghai and Beijing.


The company's announcement came at a time when Chinese airlines are adding new flights to London, fuelled by growing visitor numbers.


The latest additions were made in June, when Tianjin Airlines launched a flight between Tianjin and London's Gatwick airport that stops in Chongqing. Hainan Airlines also added a direct flight between Beijing and Manchester.


Chinese airlines expressed immediate interest last week when Britain's Department of Transport announced a deal with its Chinese counterpart that means each country can authorize up to 100 flights a week, compared to 40 previously.


Restrictions on destinations have also been lifted. Hainan Airlines said last week it would consider increasing the frequency of its Manchester flights while considering new flights between second-tier Chinese cities and London. Tianjin Airlines also welcomed the agreement.


The article transsshipment from China Daily