BA adds five Chinese cities to route map

British Airways has significantly expanded its operations in China, following the signing of new partnership with one of the country’s biggest airlines.

The new codeshare agreement between BA and Shanghai’s China Eastern Airlines will allow the UK flag carrier’s passengers to connect to five key Chinese cities. Having flown with BA from London Heathrow to Shanghai or Chengdu, passengers can now transfer on a single ticket to Kunming, Xi’an, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Chongqing.

In return, China Eastern’s passengers will be able to connect from Heathrow to several UK destinations, including Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.

“We are delighted to be partnering with China Eastern Airlines and are very pleased that we can now offer our customers the opportunity to book with British Airways to fly to these great regional Chinese destinations,” said Alex Cruz, BA’s chairman & CEO. “We believe the start of this codeshare will help to generate more opportunities for companies based in these important cities as it will be simpler and easier to travel to do business in person.

“And for leisure travellers looking to explore and witness ancient culture and stunning landscapes, these flights will lead them to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, the Purple Mountain in Nanjing and the Porcelain Village in Chongqing,” he added.

Zeng Yongchao, China Eastern’s executive deputy managing director of marketing & sales, said that the codeshare deal marked the start of a “new phase” of his airline’s relationship with BA.

“We are pleased to begin this mutually-beneficial partnership and offer our customers a more attractive route network,” Zeng said. “The UK is popular with Chinese travellers and we look forward to welcoming customers onboard our flights to the UK through London.”

Both airlines’ frequent flyers will be able to earn miles on all the codeshare flights.