After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, direct flights between Manchester Airport and China will start up again on Monday.
The airport said that Hainan Airlines will resume weekly Monday service between Manchester and Beijing, with flights arriving in Manchester at 10 am and departing at 3 pm.
The route, which is also anticipated to begin operations on a Tuesday in October, was initially inaugurated in 2016 but was forced to close because to strict lockdown measures in both nations at the beginning of the epidemic.
Last Monday, the Chinese government acknowledged Manchester-China as one of the flight routes that might restart.
Currently, the only location outside of London that offers a direct service to mainland China is the North West airport.
While the majority of the world’s regions have resumed allowing international travel, a few Asian nations continue to impose strict coronavirus restrictions.
Only a small number of tourists are allowed into Japan, and visitors must undergo a PCR test before to travel.
Singapore is open to travelers who have had their vaccinations, while no testing or quarantine is necessary for entry into Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, or Indonesia.
“Today’s news is clear evidence of the crucial economic role that Manchester Airport plays, both in the North and the UK as a whole, as we emerge from the epidemic,” said Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport.
Prior to 2020, the Hainan service provided crucial connectivity to one of the largest economies in the world. I am confident that the hundreds of thousands of people in the North who fly to and from China each year will be pleased to hear this news.
“We look forward to working closely with Hainan Airlines to build on the prior success of this route,” said Hainan Airlines. “It is tremendously positive to see essential routes like this return to our departure boards.”
In China, travellers who test positive for Covid-19 would be admitted to a specific medical ward.
According to the UK Government website, kids will remain there until they have tested negative a few times.
Chinese officials continue to enforce stringent restrictions on entering and leaving cities all around the nation.
A shocking 5,000 cases per day were being reported in March 2022, which was more than the initial Wuhan outbreak in 2019.
According to The Spectator, more than four million businesses shuttered in 2021 as a result of the restrictions, and migrants were sleeping on the streets after having their job contracts abruptly cancelled.
45 Chinese cities were under some kind of lockdown while the Omicron version continued to ravage the nation as recently as April.
Even as infections started to decline, 25 million people of Shanghai, China’s largest city and financial center, were forced to remain inside their houses for weeks at a time.
In light of the virus’ behavior, WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deemed the lockdown unsustainable.