Carrier expands services between Shanghai and London

China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd will soon operate direct flights between London Gatwick and Shanghai Pudong international airports.

Britain's second-largest airport said the new long-haul route will create "a new air link between two of the world's most important financial centers".

As well as carrying 70,000 passengers annually when the service launches on Dec 7 this year, it will provide more than 3,700 metric tons of cargo transportation between the two countries each year.

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said such flights to China will become increasingly important once Britain leaves the European Union.

"Connections like this one to China will take on extra significance in a post-Brexit Britain, as the UK starts to rely more heavily on them to generate vital growth through trade and by exploiting the other business opportunities they provide," he said.

The airline will operate the flights three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays with an Airbus A330-200.

Gatwick's CEO said he is looking forward to "the start of this vital new link to Shanghai which, like London, is undoubtedly one of the world's most important cities and business hubs".

Wingate said he believes the new route will be popular with business passengers as well as tourists "keen to sample the excitement of China's largest city."

The airport noted that Shanghai is also a major commercial hub for China's Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to stimulate trade and boost economic growth across Asia and into Europe.

The new link will add to China Eastern's existing daily service between Heathrow and Shanghai.

The air route to Shanghai is just the latest in a series of long-haul flights announced by Gatwick. In July, Air China Ltd launched three flights a week from Gatwick Airport to Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province.