The United Kingdom (UK) and China have renegotiated the terms of their Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) which will allow for frequencies to more than double between the two countries.
Under the treaty's revised terms, the number of weekly passenger flights between the two countries will increase from the current forty to 100 while all limitations on the number of cargo flights that can be operated have now been lifted. Furthermore, a limit on the number of destinations that can be served between the UK and China has also been lifted. Previously, carriers could only serve six destinations to the other's country.
The ch-aviation schedules module shows London Heathrow is currently the focus of the bulk of the UK-China market with British Airways, Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic offering connections to Beijing Capital, Chengdu Shuangliu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai Pudong. In terms of other points, Tianjin Airlines serves London Gatwick from Chongqing and Tianjin while Hainan Airlines serves Beijing from Manchester International.
Overall, British Airways controls roughly 30% of the total weekly flights on offer in the UK-China direct market followed by Air China (25.3%), China Eastern (11.99%), Virgin Atlantic (11.99%), China Southern (8.88%), Hainan Airlines (7.58%), and Tianjin Airlines (3.37%).
Given the possibility of a "Hard Brexit" i.e. a complete severing of all ties with the European Union (EU) and its exclusion from the European Single Market, the UK is looking to strengthen trade ties with as many countries as possible in a bid to establish itself as a global trading hub.
“Post Brexit, improving trade links with key markets such as China will boost exports and tourism, as well as helping create jobs and strengthening our local economies," Aviation Minister Lord Ahmed said in a statement. "This deal demonstrates that the UK is very much open for business."
