Air links between London and China are being bolstered with new services this summer.
Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines will provide the UK’s first direct connections to the growing cities of Changsha and X’ian with weekly services from Heathrow.
Beijing Capital Airlines is to convert a charter operation into a scheduled route to Qingdao with two flights a week from March 26.
These services will provide more than 217,000 new seats a year to and from China.
Changsha, with a population of more than seven million people is a major commercial and transport hub, while Xi’an is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations, as the starting part of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Heathrow is already the biggest gateway to China, offering more than 100 direct flights to Chinese cities every week.
Fifty five of these go to Hong Kong, 22 to Shanghai, 20 to Beijing, 10 to Guangzhou and two to Qingdao.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “China is booming and the appetite for British goods is stronger than ever. We are delighted to welcome these new airlines and routes.
“However, it is clear that the UK’s access to these Chinese market continues to lag behind our European rivals.
“Our nation’s biggest port is full and new routes from the UK to huge markets like Changsha and Xi’an are sadly the exception not the rule.
“If the UK is going to be a global trading powerhouse after Brexit, we need to expand Heathrow now – opening up to 40 new trading links that will help all of the UK thrive.”