London Gatwick: New Chinese Services

London Gatwick (LGW) has announced that this coming summer season, the airport will have new Chinese services.

This article will cover the details surrounding London Gatwick’s new Chinese services and what this means for the London airport.

London Gatwick’s New China Services

Photo Credit: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Starting on June 1, 2024, China’s flag carrier airline, Air China, will commence services to London Gatwick from Beijing Capital Airport (PEK). The flight will operate on a daily basis using the carrier’s Airbus A330-300s.

Air China currently operates a total of 28 Airbus A330-300s with a mix on configurations. Their six oldest aircraft have a configuration on 36 Business Class and 275 Economy Class seats. Whereas the remaining 22, all have 30 Business Class and 271 Economy Class seats.

Launching after Air China’s Beijing services, on June 20, 2024, China Southern Airlines will commence three weekly services to Gatwick from Guangzhou (CAN) using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

China Southern Airlines currently operates a total of 10 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s, all with a configuration of 18 Business Class and 248 Economy Class seats.

These new services to Beijing and Guangzhou will give passengers yet more options from the airport to China, alongside the existing services to Shanghai operated by both Air China and China Eastern Airlines and Zhengzhou operated by China Southern Airlines.

Executive Comments

Commenting on their new China services, Stephanie Wear, VP Aviation Development at London Gatwick says, “These new services to China are fantastic news for both passengers and businesses across London and the South East, providing greater opportunities for tourism and trade.”

“Having welcomed both Air China and China Southern to the airport last year, the additional routes highlight the carriers’ commitment to growth at London Gatwick.”

“Alongside China Eastern, we are delighted to continue growing these positive relationships with China’s three largest airlines. We can’t wait for these new services to take off and we look forward to developing our long-haul offer from London Gatwick across key markets like Asia.”