Air China to launch direct flight between London Gatwick, SW China's Chengdu

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Air China will launch a direct route connecting Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province and the hometown of pandas, with London Gatwick on July 3.

The connection will take off from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport three times a week – on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays – starting from next week. The flight will take just short of 11 hours.

"The opening of this new route will provide us with a unique opportunity to further develop the UK's cooperation with Chengdu, Sichuan, and the rest of China's southwest," said Barbara Woodward, British Ambassador to China.

"It will open a door from the UK to southwest China and we hope to see more tourists, more businesspeople, and more young people coming to Chengdu and Sichuan from the UK," Woodward said.

Chengdu is the fourth largest city in China, with one of the fastest growing economies in the region.

Jinli Ancient Street, Chengdu, Sichuan, SW China. /VCG Photo

Sichuan Province is home to around 80 percent of China’s population of wild pandas. One of the Chengdu’s biggest attractions is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding where visitors can view endangered giant pandas in a natural habitat. British visitors will be able to enjoy a closer glimpse of the world's best-loved black-and-white bear.

The air link is also viewed as a result of the strong trade growth between Sichuan Province and the UK.

Statistics show that trade between the two reached almost one billion US dollars in 2017, an increase of over 13 percent compared to 2016. With a population of 12 million people, Chengdu has over 250 of Fortune 500 companies launching their offices in its center.

By the end of 2017, the number of British visas issued to Chinese passport holders increased by 13 percent, and in Sichuan alone, more than 36,000 applicants applied for visas for the UK.

Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, Sichuan, SW China. /VCG Photo

"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 throughout central and western China, be it by air, road or rail,” the chief commercial officer Guy Stephenson of the Gatwick Airport said.

"UK visitors now also have a fast, direct route to Chengdu, one of China’s most culturally significant destinations," he added.

British Airway operated a direct flight between Chengdu and London Heathrow in 2013, but it was eliminated in January 2017.