CBI member, British Airways has announced that it has signed an MoU with China Southern Airlines to expand their codeshare agreement to include domestic flights and implement reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.
British Airways and China Southern started their codeshare agreement in 2017 and currently codeshare across ten routes flying internationally between China and the UK. The updated agreement extends the current codeshare agreement to include British Airways and China Southern domestic flights in their respective countries.
Rishi Kapoor, British Airways’ head of alliances, said: “[British Airways is excited to build a closer relationship with China Southern, as we look to develop existing connections and help drive leisure and business travel between the UK and China. The signing of this MoU will help us strengthen our network beyond our existing services to Beijing and Shanghai from London Heathrow, to give customers the chance to travel to new destinations.”
The UK – China aviation market is expected to grow significantly over the next few years, with analysts predicting that demand for seats will have grown by 400% by 2024. However, significant market access barriers remain in place for foreign airlines seeking to expand the number of flights to China that they can offer. Chinese airspace remains significantly restricted, with only 30% of China’s skies being made available to commercial flights, and priority for take-off and landing slots is given to domestic carriers. It is a combination of these two factors which makes entering into codeshare agreements with Chinese airlines the most effective method for expanding British Airways’ capacity for flights between the UK and China.
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