Direct route to ‘Silicon Valley of Asia’ launches at Heathrow

A new service connecting London with the ‘Silicon Valley of Asia’ has launched at Heathrow.

The airport this week (October 30) welcomed the UK’s first direct flight from Shenzhen, an economic powerhouse and megacity just north of Hong Kong.

Operated three times a week by Shenzhen Airlines, the route will transport up to 96,408 passengers annually and carry around 3,120 tonnes of exports and imports.

For Heathrow, the service is the latest in a growing list of new Chinese routes announced in 2018.

So far this year, the airport has more than doubled existing direct connections to China, growing its network from five destinations at the start of the year to 11.

Heathrow now offers flights to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Changsa, Sanya, Xi’an and Shenzhen.

Shenzhen boasts one of the highest GDPs per capita of any Chinese city and has a population of more than 12 million. It is home to tech giants Huawei, Tencent and others, giving it a reputation as China’s Silicon Valley.

Ross Baker, chief commercial officer at Heathrow, said: “This year, we have focussed on strengthening Heathrow’s role as the UK’s gateway for Chinese trade, commerce and tourism.

“While our passengers and exporters will undoubtedly be pleased with our new Shenzhen connection, along with the other routes we have announced this year, we know that in order to achieve true transformational change for our culture and economy we need the additional capacity for cargo and passengers to reach greater benefits.”

He continued: “It is the creation of this extra capacity, achieved through Heathrow expansion that will allow Britain to trade on a truly global platform whilst providing Britain with a front door that is the best connected in the world.”

Shenzhen Airlines, part owned by flagship carrier Air China, is the fourth biggest Chinese airline by passenger numbers.