Clear for takeoff: direct flights from UK to Chengdu

London will soon be connected to Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, by air as Air China launches three flights a week from Gatwick Airport.

The non-stop flights from Britain’s second-biggest airport will begin from Tuesday, making it Gatwick’s 67th long-haul route.

The airport said the new flight will play an important role connecting the UK to global markets, especially China, post-Brexit.

Guy Stephenson, chief commercial officer at Gatwick Airport, said: “Chengdu is a strategically important destination and a major logistical hub so this new route – the UK’s only direct flight - opens up a range of opportunities to access markets throughout central and western China, be it by air, road or rail.”

Chengdu is best known for its giant panda research base, where visitors can view the pandas in their natural habitat.

The new direct service has a capacity of more than 45,000 seats and over 1,500 metric tons of cargo per year, and the Air China flights will depart from Gatwick on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Chen Hongbing, general manager UK and Ireland, Air China, said: “Air China’s Gatwick-Chengdu route is the 30th route opened by Air China between China and Europe. We hope to set up an air bridge through this route to provide passengers with more convenience and choice.”

Chen added that the goal is to promote friendly exchanges between the two sides, and to promote political, economic and cultural exchanges.

It’s not the first time that there has a direct flight between the two cities. In 2013, British Airways started direct routes from London to Chengdu but stopped in early 2017.

Gatwick airport also announced that its total number of passengers reachedan all-time high of 45.7 million in the 12 months to the end of March 2018, that’s up 3.6 percent on the previous year.

This resulted in an extra 1.6 million people travelling through the London airport.

The airport noted that passenger growth was driven by the airport’s long-haul connections with an additional 1 million long-haul passengers, up 14.4percent on 2016-2017, travelling through Gatwick.

One in six airport passengers now travel to a long-haul destination.

“Gatwick’s global connectivity has grown dramatically with nine new long-haul routes in the last year alone,” said Nick Dunn, Gatwick Airport’s chief financial officer. “Our increased network drives increased cargo capacity - another example of the vital role Gatwick plays for Britain. As the country prepares for Brexit, it is critical that we continue to grow our long-haul links in addition to connections within the UK and Europe.”