Virgin Atlantic is extending its reach within Asia via a new codeshare agreement with China Eastern.
Passengers flying from Heathrow to Shanghai with the UK carrier will be able to fly onwards to other destinations in China on a single ticket, including Chengdu, Changsha, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Xi’an.
China Eastern passengers will also have the opportunity to connect via Heathrow onto Virgin Atlantic’s Caribbean and African destinations, including Jamaica, Nassau, Lagos, Cape Town and Johannesburg, subject to government approval.
China Eastern is a fellow member of the SkyTeam alliance, which Virgin Atlantic joined last year.
The two airlines have been co-located at Shanghai Pudong airport Terminal One since November.
Virgin Atlantic resumed service to Shanghai in May last year following the pandemic.
Chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen said: “China and East Asia is an incredibly important region for Virgin Atlantic and we were delighted to welcome back our Heathrow to Shanghai service last year, providing vital links to one of the UK’s largest trading partners, for both passenger and cargo services.
“Our new codeshare with China Eastern, a fellow SkyTeam partner, will serve continued demand for travel to the region and strengthens our commitment to China and East Asia.
“We know these agreements bring plenty of benefits to our customers, from increased network scope to China and beyond, to reciprocal loyalty rewards for our Flying Club members.”