Very soon North will be connected to China as daily Far East flight services have been declared. Hainan Airlines have increased its number of weekly flights from 4 carriers to 5.
The airlines started its route to Beijing in June 2016. The services would be daily during the summers, as expressed by the carrier officials. This means an increase of 31% to capacity between Manchester and Beijing. Followed by startling news that says Cathay Pacific will introduce daily flights to Hong Kong from December this year, with an increase to five flights a week from June 2017. Driving trade, investment and tourism in the North have been heavily influenced by both the services. Currently, both the parties are contributing around £100m a year to the tourism industry alone. From the time of their launch, levels of investment from the Far East in the North have increased rapidly.
However, the increased frequencies will impel these tendencies further.
To quote Ken O’Toole, CEO of Manchester Airport, ‘Securing direct services to China was a long-standing ambition of Manchester Airport and the region as a whole. The fact the Beijing and Hong Kong routes have been so successful is testament to both the strength of the North’s economy and its rich cultural, sporting and leisure scene, which has been hugely popular with Chinese visitors. The fact both carriers have chosen to operate daily services will deliver further trade, tourism and investment benefits to all parts of the North and this growth demonstrates the power of direct connectivity to the world’s most important markets.’
