Article from BTNews 23 JULY 2018
Guangzhou – Rome
A direct flight linking Guangzhou and Rome was launched by China Southern Airlines last week, extending its route network to seven major European cities. The carrier already serves Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The new flights, which take about 13hr, are operated by Boeing B787 Dreamliner and are scheduled to depart from Guangzhou every Monday, Friday and Sunday.
They are part of a continuing expansion by the airline, which has also just begun service between Sanya and Heathrow twice-weekly on Thursdays and Sundays and between Shenzhen and Singapore daily.
China Southern so far has no competition on the Rome and Heathrow routes but on Shenzhen – Singapore is up against Scoot, operating five times weekly, Shenzhen Airlines with a double-daily service and SilkAir with a daily service.
Heathrow has already figured in China Southern’s further expansion this summer with the carrier launching flights from Wuhan on 30 May. The 8,867km (5,500mi) service is being flown three times weekly using the airline’s Airbus A330-200s.
This was followed by flights between Guangzhou and Da Nang on 1 June and the airline, the largest carrier in Asia by fleet size, is also planning to begin service on 28 August between Guangzhou and Lahore.
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