Manchester is set to launch a direct service to Shanghai this summer, with Juneyao Air beginning three-times-weekly flights on July 1 using a two-class Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Chinese airline was due to launch a service from Dublin in 2020, but plans were dropped when the pandemic hit.
The new route aims to strengthen economic ties between China and the North of England, benefiting from the success of Hainan Airlines’ Manchester-Beijing service, which saw a 41 percent growth in export values to China and doubled investment enquiries from China in the following years
Around 185,000 people from the region already travel to Shanghai indirectly each year, with over 9,000 Chinese students in Manchester, representing one in nine of the city’s student population – a 43 percent increase since 2018
Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester airport, highlighted the benefits of the new route, including facilitating travel, enhancing business opportunities, and connecting Chinese community with family and friends.
