Birmingham-Beijing flights launched by 'Shakespeare's airport'
- Published
Charter flights are to be introduced between Beijing and Birmingham this summer, the UK airport has revealed.
Hainan Airlines is to operate two flights a week between 3 July and 28 August, expected to pave the way for a regular service.
A trial last year saw three flights between the cities.
Birmingham Airport said it would be branding itself in China as "Shakespeare's airport" and promoting links to nearby Stratford-upon-Avon.
The flights are expected to carry almost 4,000 Chinese tourists to the UK.
Shakespeare and China
- The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) plans to tour China in 2016 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death
- William Shakespeare is known in China as Shashibiya (pronounced Shah-shh-bee-yah) and is a translation based on sound, or Old Man Sha - equivalent to The Bard
- The RSC has received a £1.5m government grant to translate Shakespeare's complete works into Mandarin
- Rather than "nothing will come of nothing", Chinese King Lear says "not having anything can only result in not having anything"
- Centuries-old Chinese play The Orphan of Zhao - often described as the Chinese Hamlet - was the first Chinese play produced by the RSC
Sally Balcombe, chief executive of Visit Britain, described China as a "huge tourism opportunity" for the country.
The flights between Beijing and Birmingham are expected to "forge links between businesses in both countries", Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said.
Birmingham Airport commercial director, Jo Lloyd, said flights to Shanghai and Guangzou were also being planned for the future.
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