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| Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister David Cameron and HNA Group chairman Chen Feng attended the press conference. (PRNewsFoto/Hainan Airlines Co., LTD). |
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - On the afternoon of October 23rd, British local time, Hainan Airlines announced in Manchester, UK that the airline will be launching a Beijing-Manchester route in June of 2016. The new route will be the first nonstop service between the two cities.
Hainan Airlines held a press conference at Manchester Airport on the afternoon of October 23rd, with Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister David Cameron, HNA Group chairman Chen Feng, Manchester Airports Group chief executive Charlie Cornish, Hainan Airlines president Xie Haoming as well as representatives from government agencies and media organizations in China and the UK in attendance. Hainan Airlines' upcoming Beijing-Manchester route is one of the important achievements during President Xi's visit to the UK. The press conference was the last event attended by President Xi before leaving the country.
HNA Group chairman Chen Feng said at the event, "As a company born in China and now actively expanding into international markets, Hainan Airlines is doing its bit to assure the success of the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and has progressively been adding nonstop flights connecting China with Europe over the last few years. I believe that the Beijing-Manchester route that will be launched will serve to create a new air bridge."
Congratulating Hainan Airlines on the launch of the new route, Manchester Airports Group CEO Charlie Cornish said, "I am honored to witness the launch of Hainan Airlines' Beijing-Manchester route. The new route is expected to inject over 250 million pounds into the UK economy. Manchester Airport is the international gateway to the North of English and an important factor in the country's effort to revitalize the region. Launching of the new route will help the North of England attract more investment from China and make the region significantly more accessible to Chinese businessmen and executives."
The Beijing-Manchester route will be Hainan Airlines' sixth international route following the launch of the Chongqing-Rome, Beijing-San Jose, Shanghai-Boston, Shanghai-Seattle and Beijing-Prague routes earlier this year. The launch of the Beijing-Manchester route will further improve Hainan Airlines' global network. With more international routes on tap to be launched by the airline, travelers from China will find it much easier to visit major cities around the world through Hainan Airlines' network as well as those of its global partners, as well as to be serviced by any of the airports under Manchester Airports Group.
