China and Heathrow

With China's Premier Li Keqiang in London last week, the country’s Ambassador to the Court of St James, Liu Xiaoming, articulated that the world’s most populous country wants Heathrow to expand capacity to allow Chinese carriers to introduce more flights between China and Britain.

"We'd like to see an increase in capacity in Heathrow Airport," Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to Britain, told a news conference in London.  He said that the British Government had told him that the airport, the world's third busiest by passenger numbers, had reached capacity.

"We expect Heathrow will have a third runway," he said.

As things stand, British Airways flies from Heathrow to Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai, whilst Virgin Atlantic offers Shanghai.  Air China is on the Beijing – Heathrow route and China Eastern Shanghai – Heathrow.  Air China also has services from Gatwick to Beijing but it remains to be seen whether this is now a 52-week operation, the airline having dropped the route last winter.

Hong Kong is served by both the British carriers plus Cathay Pacific.  www.heathrowairport.com

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