First direct flights between Edinburgh and Beijing to launch in June

By The Newsroom
Published 15th Mar 2018, 08:38 BST
Updated 15th Mar 2018, 09:43 BST
THE first direct flights between Edinburgh and Beijing will take off in June, it has been confirmed.

Carrier Hainan Airlines will operate two direct flights a week between the city and the Chinese capital from June 12, with two further routes via Dublin set to run at the same time.

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Edinburgh Airport to confirm direct flights to China

The route announcement is reportedly the culmination of three years of negotiations between airport bosses and their Chinese counterparts in a move that could attract thousands more tourists to Edinburgh from the Far East.

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Flights will begin in June.Flights will begin in June.
Flights will begin in June.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, hailed the move as “incredibly exciting,” adding: “Edinburgh is second only to London as the most popular UK destination for Chinese tourists and we have worked incredibly hard with partners across the city and the country to get to this point.”

“This is an incredibly exciting day for the airport, for the city and for the country. Tourism is one of our biggest economic drivers and still has masses of potential to unleash.”

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