Air China to launch Gatwick-Chengdu service

Air China has announced it will launch non-stop flights between Chengdu and Gatwick airport on 3 July.

The new service is the first non-stop connection between London and Chengdu since British Airways cancelled its flights from Heathrow in January 2017.

The Air China flights will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays onboard the airline’s two-class Airbus A330-300. The aircraft offers 30 lie-flat seats in business class in a two-two-two configuration, while the 255 economy seats feature a 31 to 32-inch pitch.

Tickets are not yet for sale on the airline’s English-language site but can be booked on the Chinese-language site.

This is the latest in a series of new connections between the UK and China, with Hainan Airlines launching flights between Heathrow and Changsha as well as increasing frequency on its Beijing-Manchester route. Beijing Capital Airlines, Tianjin Airlines and China Southern have also established routes in recent months.

airchina.co.uk