THE FOREIGN Office is holding talks with the
Home Office which could result in an increase in traffic for Air China.
The Government departments are negotiating a way to change the regulations that require Chinese travellers to have transit visas if connecting at Heathrow for European travel.
The rule means the Chinese have a similar visa requirement for UK travellers in China.
This has deterred some passengers from using Air China for flights to Asian and Australian destinations.
Air China UK market development manager Richard Burgess said:”The Chinese travel all round Europe without visas, apart from the UK.”
Ironically, the visa problem has not deterred the British Tourist Authority from being the only European tourism body to have an office in Beijing.
Burgess said another boost to Air China’s traffic would be a move by Beijing to grant a special status to the UK, allowing Chinese nationals to travel freely. Currently, they are only allowed to visit Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Japan.
The handing over of Hong Kong to China is expected to speed up the UK’s new status.