Ten new flights a week between Gatwick and China are being in introduced this summer
Air China starts a daily service to Beijing on June 1 followed by three flights a week by China Southern to China’s fifth largest city of Guangzhou from June 20.
The new flights take the number of weekly services from Gatwick to China to 26, alongside existing flights to Shanghai by China Eastern and Air China and Zhengzhou by China Southern.
These, combined with operations from Air India, Emirates, Saudia and Qatar Airways, alongside new Singapore Airlines services and Azerbaijan Airlines flights to Baku, mean there will be a total of 85 aircraft a week serving Asia from the airport this summer.
Air China is to deploy Airbus A330-300 on the new route and China Southern will use a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Airport aviation development vice president Stephanie Wear said: “These new services to China are fantastic news for both passengers and businesses across London and the southeast, providing greater opportunities for tourism and trade.
“Having welcomed both Air China and China Southern to the airport last year, the additional routes highlight the carriers’ commitment to growth at London Gatwick.
“Alongside China Eastern, we are delighted to continue growing these positive relationships with China’s three largest airlines.
“We can’t wait for these new services to take off and we look forward to developing our long-haul offer from London Gatwick across key markets like Asia.”