Heathrow to fly passengers into the heart of ancient China with new route to Zhengzhou

• Heathrow today launches its first direct flight to Zhengzhou, one of China's eight Ancient Capital cities
• Route is an European first and comes 12 months after Parliament overwhelmingly voted to expand the UK's hub airport
• Zhengzhou is also a Chinese manufacturing hub, with 70% of Apple iPhones sold worldwide manufactured in the city
• The route is Heathrow's 13th direct connection to China with routes having more than doubled since 2018

British passengers will be able to fly directly to one of China's eight Ancient Capital cities from today, as Heathrow launches Europe's first direct route to Zhengzhou.

The flight will carry holiday-makers into the heart of ancient Chinese culture, where they will be able to explore the famous Shaolin Monastery and Pagoda Forest, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Site that it is considered to be the birth-place of the ancient martial art of kung-fu.

The city is also a vitally important Chinese manufacturing hub and a key business destination. An astounding 70% of all Apple iPhones sold worldwide are manufactured there. It is also one of the most important textile centres in the country, meaning that British businesses and passengers are now able to directly access the heart of industrial - as well as ancient - China.

The new route means that Heathrow now offers an unrivalled 13 direct connections to Chinese destinations. The number of destinations available via the UK's only hub airport has allowed exports to China to grow by 135% in value from 2018 compared to 2017, totalling over £7 billion. Over 1.3 million passengers travelled from mainland China to Heathrow in 2018 - an increase of 14% over previous years.

The flight will be operated by China Southern twice weekly out of Terminal 4 and use a 787-800 aircraft. It will allow for an annual 55,328 seats and 2,080 tonnes of cargo space.

Ross Baker, Heathrow's Chief Commercial Officer said:

"The launch of our new route to Zhengzhou is an exciting opportunity for passengers and will provide Europe's only direct connection to this unique Chinese destination. At Heathrow, we are committed to opening-up more routes to China as part of our strategy to drive forward the UK's global connectivity for years to come."