On Sunday, British Airways (BA) announced in Beijing that it
plans to boost its share of China's market this year.
It will increase its Beijing-London service from five to six
flights a week and its Hong Kong-London weekly service from 17 to
21 from June.
It has also approached the government for approval to launch
flights from London Heathrow to Shanghai this year, said Andrew
Cahn, BA's director of Government and Industry Affairs.
The tourism agreement signed last Friday allowing tourist groups
to visit the UK is expected to help initiate a wave of interest in
it as a tourist destination.
Tim Ramage, General Manager of British Airways China, said that
currently there are more than 80,000 passengers flying between
China's mainland and the UK every year.
The company expects an annual increase of 15 to 20 percent of
travelers in the coming years.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2005)