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New Birmingham to China flight route begins First planes touch down on new £40m Birmingham Airport runway extension
(about 2 hours later)
The first flight between China and Birmingham has landed. The first plane to use Birmingham Airport's £40m extended runway has landed.
It is the only UK to China air route to operate from outside London and was made possible by a runway extension. A China Southern Airlines flight from Beijing touched down at around 06:35 BST.
The 248-seat A330-200 aircraft begins its outbound flight at 12:00 BST and will fly between Beijing and Birmingham on three dates up to 6 August. Work to add an extra 400m to the existing runway began in November 2012 after years of planning.
A Birmingham Airport spokesman said all the inbound flights to the city were sold out, with just a "handful of seats" left on the outbound routes. Birmingham Airport bosses said they hoped the longer runway would allow it to provide flights to more long-haul destinations.
The first outbound flight, a return service to Beijing, will depart at 12:00.
It will mark the start of the only UK to China direct air route to operate from outside London
The 248-seat A330-200 aircraft will fly between Beijing and Birmingham on three dates up to 6 August.
An airport spokesman said all the inbound flights to the city were sold out, with just a "handful of seats" left on the outbound routes.
It showed the "enormous demand" for the service, he said.It showed the "enormous demand" for the service, he said.
The airport said previously, the flights would help Chinese visitors access destinations such as the Cotswolds, the Lake District and Birmingham. The airport said previously that the flights would help Chinese visitors access destinations including the Cotswolds and the Lake District.
The size of the Chinese tourism market has tripled over the past 10 years and is estimated to be worth about £15m to the West Midlands economy, according to John Bryson, Professor of Economic Geography at University of Birmingham.The size of the Chinese tourism market has tripled over the past 10 years and is estimated to be worth about £15m to the West Midlands economy, according to John Bryson, Professor of Economic Geography at University of Birmingham.
He added Birmingham was the fourth most popular destination for Chinese visitors in England. He said Birmingham was the fourth most popular destination for Chinese visitors in England.