02 February 2023 , 12:29
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Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will restart their flights to China, they announced today.
Virgin will start flying from London Heathrow to Shanghai, China for the first time since 23 December 2020, when both countries were in the midst of Covid lockdowns.
The airline will resume daily services from 1 May for both passenger and cargo operations, with fares starting from £669 per person.
Today BA started selling tickets to China once more, relaunching sales of its flights to Beijing and Shanghai on its website.
The UK flag carrier will resume a daily flight between London Heathrow and Shanghai from 23 April, with the routes between London and Beijing relaunching on June 3.
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BA is relaunching its routes to Beijing and Shanghai (Getty Images)The move will be a major boost for Chinese people living in the UK and vice-versa, after two and half years during which travel between the two countries was particularly difficult.
It comes following a relaxation in travel restrictions between the two countries, which saw the borders reopening to foreign nationals for the first time since 2020.
Shanghai is Virgin Atlantic’s final route to be re-instated following the global pandemic, having been closed for a total of 859 days at the point of its relaunch.
Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “The return of our Shanghai services has been a long-time coming and I’m delighted it’s finally a reality. We’re looking forward to welcoming our customers back on board and providing vital links to one of the UK’s largest trading partners, for both passenger and cargo services.
“Shanghai is the final route to return following the global pandemic, restoring our flying programme to full capacity. Our focus for 2023 is on delivery, as we look forward to launching routes to new destinations."
Virgin Atlantic's Shanghai routes are starting once again (Getty Images)Noella Ferns, British Airways’ head of sales, Asia Pacific, said: “We can’t wait to welcome our customers back on board our flights from Shanghai and Beijing. We know they’ve been looking forward to reuniting with family and friends, coming to study in the UK and resuming business between China and the UK.
"We have an incredibly rich history of flying to mainland China, having connected the two countries for more than 40 years. We look forward to resuming these routes again."
China had indefinitely suspended flights to the UK in late 2020, with the UK under lockdown and reporting high Covid-19 rates.
Airlines including British Airways had suspended flights as early as January 2020, two months before the first UK lockdown, when Covid-19 became a major concern in China and the FCDO advised against all but essential travel there.
In August last year China ended a ban on direct flights from the UK.
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Customers travelling to China do not need to show proof of vaccination, however each passenger will need to show proof of a negative PCR test before they enter the country, alongside a health declaration form.
Passengers arriving from China into the UK must take a negative PCR or lateral flow test.
Customers should check the government's website before booking for up to date travel advice.
BA has been contacted for comment.