What flights are available between the UK and China?

Thanks to a series of recent policy relaxations, travel to China is as accessible as it has been since travel restrictions were first introduced in early 2020, with an increasing number of direct flights between the UK and China now available

Summer 2022 saw a reduction of China’s quarantine duration from 21 to 10 days (seven days in a quarantine hotel and three days in your place of residence, where possible), as well as the simplification of the pre-departure testing procedure.

China has also relaxed its visa rules by removing the requirement for British nationals to acquire PU letters in order to apply for a Z (work), M (business), or F (non-commerce visit – e.g., lecture, research, cultural exchange) visa, in addition to reopening applications for X1 student visas (for long-term students who intend to study in China for more than 180 days).

With all of this in mind, the question then becomes: how can you fly to China from the UK?

Direct Flights

Having been suspended in late 2020, direct flights between China and the UK resumed in mid-August, with Air China flying to London Heathrow from Beijing and Shanghai once per week.

Hainan Airlines resumed direct flights from Beijing to Manchester in late August 2022, with a once-weekly service arriving and departing on Monday. Note that due to policy in China, the outbound service to Beijing currently stops in Dalian, where passengers will have to quarantine before travelling onwards to Beijing.

Air China is also operating flights from London to Shanghai and Beijing with tickets in very high demand. Flights from London to Qingdao operated by Capital Airlines have also started although availability is limited. Other planned flight routes include London to Guangzhou with China Southern and London to Shanghai with China Eastern.

The flights are being operated in accordance with China’s circuit breaker system, with additional flights being added to routes which operated below a permitted number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on board.

*Note: You can keep track of which flights are currently suspended under the circuit breakers measures on the Civil Aviation Administration of China website.

Our tips for booking direct flights include contacting the airlines directly and using their official websites (as opposed to booking engines like Trip.com). It is also worth checking for flights on routes to cities other than Beijing and Shanghai, such as Dalian, Guangzhou or Qingdao.

Flights via a third country

Direct flights are recommended because they simplify the process of travelling to China significantly, but availability is still low and prices are high. However, travel through third countries is permitted and presents a wide range of potential options, as long as you can complete the required pre-departure tests and health declaration in your country of departure and the third country.

Popular routes from the UK via an airport with the necessary pre-flight PCR testing facilities include Helsinki with FinnAir, Copenhagen with SAS, Frankfurt with Lufthansa, and Amsterdam with KLM.

It is worth checking this list of available flights by Blog of Ikky in China, which often gets passed around in Wechat/Facebook groups for people returning to China (however, we cannot guarantee the veracity of the information).

A number of chambers of commerce of some European countries in China offer charter flights that can be booked by both members and non-members. For example, AHK is offering a number of flights from Frankfurt to Qingdao up to March 2023, including support from a dedicated team prior to departure and during quarantine. The Italian, Swiss and French Chambers have also arranged flights in recent months.

For more information about the travel process, including testing requirements and how to apply for the Health Declaration Certificate, read Tom Simpson’s recent article about his travel to China.

Another good tip put forward by Smart Shanghai based on one of their editors’ experiences of travelling to China in summer 2022 is to email your nearest Chinese consulate or embassy with your flight and testing plan to ask if it is feasible. Their contact details are usually easily found on their website.

Disclaimer: All details were correct at the time of writing, however, the situation continues to evolve, so we recommend checking directly with the airline or the Chinese embassy where you live if you have any concerns. The flights/routes mentioned above do not represent a complete list of options available.