Inaugural flight to Pudong airport today launches British carrier's Greater China expansion amid tight competition
British Airways (BA) will enter the crowded skies over Shanghai today when its inaugural flight from London lands at Pudong International Airport, the first giant step in an overall expansion of its Greater China services.
Britain's busiest carrier will fly five times a week between London and Shanghai, joining airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and China Eastern on the increasingly competitive route.
'Shanghai is an important step for us,' BA chief executive Rod Eddington said.
'It is, and will be, a fiercely competitive market. There is an enormous amount of extra capacity being put into Shanghai from all over Europe and it is natural that our competitors will try to feed ex-UK traffic through their hubs,' he said.
'With the competition on the Shanghai route as strong and dense as it is, it is a good sign the potential is solid and that bodes well for our business prospects,' said Fernando Suarez, general manager for Greater China and the Philippines.
