China Southern Airlines has scheduled the launch of a new route to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) in December, alongside increased service to London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

The carrier intends to commence flights to LGW from Zhengzhou, the capital of east-central China's Henan province, from Dec. 16. Flights will operate twice a week using Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

China Southern has connected Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and London nonstop in the past, offering flights to LHR from June 2019 until the onset of the pandemic in February 2020. However, the UK has remained absent from the Chinese city’s route map ever since.

Zhengzhou, a metropolis on the Yellow River, has a population of about 10 million and is one of China’s eight ancient capitals. The region is home to the Shaolin Monastery, one of the country’s most important Buddhist shrines and the ancient centre of Chinese Kung-fu.  Additionally, Zhengzhou is the location of the world’s largest iPhone factory, employing some 200,000 workers.

Along with the planned LGW route, China Southern has confirmed the resumption of a weekly flight between Wuhan and LHR from Oct. 13 using 787-9s, increasing to 2X-weekly from Oct. 29. Flights on the 5,510-mi. (4,788-nm) sector were suspended in early 2020 following the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan.

The additions will increase China Southern’s UK network to four routes, in addition to its existing services to LHR from Beijing Daxing (PKX) and Guangzhou (CAN). OAG Schedules Analyser data shows both routes are offered daily at present, using Airbus A350-900s from PKX and 787-9s from CAN.

Overall nonstop scheduled capacity between China and the UK totals almost 52,800 two-way seats during the week commencing Sept. 25, representing a full recovery of 2019 levels. China Southern accounts for 17.2% of the capacity, behind Air China on 27%. China Eastern Airlines is the third-largest provider of nonstop capacity, with 15.7% of the market.