History Is Made As First Direct Flight From China Touches Down at Edinburgh Airport
At 6am on June 12th 2018, the inaugural direct flight from Beijing to Edinburgh touched down on the Edinburgh Airport runway.
The Airbus A330-300 operated by Hainan Airlines was greeted by a water cannon salute, and a piper from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The flight was a culmination of over three years of hard work between Edinburgh Airport, Marketing Edinburgh, the City of Edinburgh Council, and Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA).
Edinburgh Airport Chief Executive Gordon Dewar was enthusiastic about the commercial possibilities that the flight will provide. Dewar stated that ‘tourism is one of our biggest economic drivers and still has masses of potential to unleash.’ He also noted that Edinburgh is second only to London as the most popular UK destination for Chinese tourists. And indeed, according to the Edinburgh City Council, 35,000 Chinese tourists visit the city annually – enough to fill Usher Hall approximately 16 times.
Edinburgh city officials were similarly excited about the prospect of forging closer ties with China. Edinburgh Council Lord Provost, Frank Ross, emphasized the cultural links that already exist. ‘[We] have our own Chinese New Year celebrations here in the city,’ Ross explained, ‘marked this year by a special concert in the Usher Hall.’ He also pointed to the ongoing collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and the Shenzhen Peoples’ hospital and partner Hua-Xia Healthcare on diabetes’ research. Mr. Bao Qifa – chairman of Hainan Airlines – agrees with Ross, stating that a nonstop flight between Beijing and Edinburgh will ‘stimulate the development of Sino-Irish and Sino-British relations.’
The direct flight will cut travel times on the 5000 mile journey from 15 hours to 11.5 hours. Passengers in the economy class will be treated to a touchscreen entertainment system and charging ports, while passengers in business class will have the ability to recline their seats to 180°.
Direct flights between Edinburgh Airport and BCIA are scheduled to run four times per week. Flights start at £258.* Interested in learning more about Beijing? Read more about what this historic capital has to offer here.
*prices based on cheapest quotes made in Skyscanner.net throughout 2018