British Airways, China Southern Airlines relaunch partnership

British Airways, or BA, announced on Tuesday that it had relaunched its codeshare partnership with China Southern Airlines, enabling customers to travel between China and the United Kingdom more freely.

Customers are now able to mix and match the flights operated by the two airlines.

For example, BA passengers flying from London to Beijing or Shanghai can connect to China Southern Airlines' flights to 10 destinations in China "seamlessly" on one ticket, said the UK flag carrier airline.

Passengers traveling from Beijing or Shanghai via London's Heathrow Airport, the UK's largest airport, also have the option to connect to nine UK destinations, including Leeds in northern England, Belfast in Northern Ireland, Glasgow in Scotland, and more.

BA said the partnership offers people the ability to get better deals by mixing and matching flights and smoother connections for onward flights within China.

Currently, BA operates daily service between Shanghai and London, and four flights per week between Beijing and London.

China Southern Airlines operates daily from Heathrow Airport to both Beijing and Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong province. Additionally, it offers twice-weekly flights to Wuhan, the capital city of Central China's Hubei province.

The airline also flies from London Gatwick Airport to Zhengzhou, the capital city of Central China's Henan province, two times a week.

Zhang Li, director of the China National Tourist Office in London (second from left), Chen Ke, general manager of China Southern Airlines' London office (second from right), and David Oppenheim, director of global sales of British Airways (center) attend an event promoting Beijing's culture and tourism to British travelers in London on May 23. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Last Thursday, the two airlines co-hosted an event in London promoting Beijing to British travelers with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

Addressing the attendees, Zhang Li, director of the China National Tourist Office in London, said the event created a model of win-win cooperation between travel destinations, and Chinese and international airlines.

China will continue to promote the high-quality, sustainable development of the tourism industry, he added.