Manchester Airport and Hainan Airlines revealed as Dragon Boat Festival sponsors

Together with Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines, Manchester Airport has been named as a sponsor of the UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival coming to Salford next month.

The festival, organised by the Manchester-based Xinhua Chinese Association (XCA), will take place ahead of the launch of Hainan’s new service connecting the North West with Beijing.

The Dragon Boat Festival was founded in 2012 and sees more than 30 teams of 12 race boats across a 200-meter course before as many as 10k people.

In addition to the racing, the festival will have Chinese cultural peformers and food stalls.

The airport’s commercial director, Stephen Turner, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the UK Chinese Dragon Boat festival alongside one of our newest airlines – Hainan Airlines. The festival is set to be a massive crowd pleaser and is the ideal place to showcase our new connectivity to Beijing with a five-star airline.

“We hope the event is a success and enjoyed by those taking part, and watching alike.”

With the launch of Hainan’s Beijing service on June 10, Manchester Airport will become the only UK airport outside London to provide direct, year-round flights to mainland China.

XCA chairman Dr Yanzhong Xu commented: “We are really excited about the partnership with Manchester Airport and Hainan Airlines.

“This partnership is beneficial to both sides - not only for this year, but for the years to come.”

He continued: “We are very proud that the UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is getting bigger and better each year, and is growing to become one of the premier events in the calendar.”