British Airways has relaunched a codeshare partnership with China Southern Airlines, offering passengers the chance to “mix and match” between the carriers to best suit their needs.
There are 32 flights a week between London and five Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Zhengzhou.
Currently, BA operates once a day from Heathrow to Shanghai, and four times a week from Heathrow to Beijing.
China Southern Airlines serves both Beijing and Guangzhou daily and Wuhan twice weekly from Heathrow’s Terminal 4.
The Chinese carrier also flies from Gatwick, offering services Zhengzhou twice a week. A Gatwick-Guangzhou service starts on June 20, with three flights a week.
More: Gatwick gains 10 new flights a week to China
China Southern Airlines to start Heathrow-Beijing service
BA debuts new Club Suite as Heathrow services to Beijing resume
BA said its customers travelling from London via Beijing or Shanghai have the option to connect “seamlessly” on one ticket onto China Southern Airlines’ flights to 10 destinations in China.
Connecting at Beijing Daxing International airport offers links to Chengdu, Xi’an, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Dalian, Kunming, Harbin, Changchun and Urumqi.
Those connecting at Shanghai Pudong International airport can fly onwards to Shenyang, Harbin, Changchun or Dalian.
Meanwhile, passengers travelling from Beijing or Shanghai via Heathrow have the option to connect onto nine UK destinations, including Edinburgh, Manchester and Belfast.
As well as the ability to mix and match flights to get the best deals, the codeshare means customers can take advantage of “smoother” connections for onward flights within China.
The BA code on China Southern Airlines paused in 2021 and the China Southern Airlines code on BA paused in 2022.