New connection will strengthen ties between Shanghai and Manchester

Chinese carrier Juneyao Air has announced plans for its first ever passenger route linking the United Kingdom with China, which will fly between Shanghai and Manchester from March next year.

Authorities in Manchester have welcomed the new link, saying it will provide a boost for tourism, trade, and investment in the North of England.

"This is another important milestone for Manchester Airport, Greater Manchester, and the North," said Clive Memmott, chief executive of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. "The economic impacts of major new strategic routes like this are substantial, and further strengthen the relationship between Manchester and great world cities like Shanghai."

Juneyao Air will use Boeing 787－900 Dreamliners for the three-times-a-week flights.

Founded in 2006, Juneyao owns 73 aircraft and has 160 domestic and international routes. The carrier links the Chinese mainland with several countries in Asia as well as Finland. The new route will be the company's second to Europe.

"We look forward to developing Manchester's traffic growth in the coming years," said Wang Junjin, Juneyao Group chairman. "This route will further promote Greater Manchester's tourism, as well giving Britain an opportunity to boost its trade and investment links to China."

Previous links between China and Manchester have had a marked impact on the economy in Northern England.

A direct service between Manchester and Beijing was established in 2016, and, two years later, export values from Manchester Airport to China had risen 41 percent, to 1.29 billion pounds ($1.67 billion), according to a report from consultancy Steer Davies Gleave.

Between 2016 and 2018, there was a 38 percent increase in the number of visitors to Manchester from China, and the number of Chinese students in Manchester grew by 9 percent, compared to the national increase of 4 percent.

Increased connectivity with a major trading nation will be a boost for the Northern Powerhouse, a UK government infrastructure and development initiative that aims to decentralize economic activity from London and the Southeast.

"Forging closer links between China and the Northern Powerhouse is crucial to increasing the contribution the North makes to the UK economy," said Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. "It is a chance for all of the Northern Powerhouse's 15 million people to create new opportunities for them and their families."

The new direct route will benefit thousands of people across the North who currently access Shanghai via other means, according to Manchester Airport. In the last year, people based within a two-hour drive of the airport made 183,000 trips to Shanghai from other UK airports.

Juneyao Air is eyeing additional routes linking China to London Heathrow in the UK, as well as Athens, Greece, Vladivostok, Russia, and Cairo, Egypt.