UK, China give clearance for more passenger, cargo flights

The UK and China have agreed to increase the maximum number of passenger flights between the two countries to 100 a week for each nation from 40 and to remove any limit on cargo flights, moves to help boost trade and tourism following the vote to leave the European Union, the UK government said Tuesday. The two countries also agreed to lift restrictions to allow passenger services to be operated from any point in the two countries, the British Department of Transport said. Before the agreement there was a limit of cargo flights of 10 each way a week and airlines could only serve six destinations in each country. The British government has been eager to show that the UK is open for business after Britons voted in a national referendum in June to exit the EU, a move many warned before the vote could hurt the UK’s economy and global standing. “Raising the number of permitted flights between the two countries will provide massive opportunities for our businesses, helping increase trade, create jobs and boost our economy up and down the country,” Chris Grayling, the UK’s transport minister, said in the statement where he described the agreement as a “big moment for the UK”.<br/>