Hainan Airlines seeks approval for Beijing flights from UK

If China’s Hainan Airlines application to fly from Beijing to Heathrow and Manchester from next summer gets approved travellers flying on these routes would have increased flying options.

The airline has plans to operate the London route from June daily with an Airbus A330-200. This largest privately owned carrier in China will use the same aircraft on its four weekly flights to Manchester, starting from May. The airline based on the tropical island of Hainan, has Beijing as its major hub.

According to a report, the airline may have slot issues for Heathrow service and face difficulty in securing the rights to compete against Air China and other carriers. At Manchester the carrier will face competition with airlines like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Airports in the UK are keen to attract more services from China after the recent relaxation of tourist visa restrictions.