Hainan Airlines resumes direct flight linking London, Changsha

China's Hainan Airlines on Friday resumed its direct flight services between London and Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six hours before departure time, people were already lining up at Heathrow Airport to check in for the flight. Passenger Yan Xiaoping, who previously had to do layover stops to get to Hunan, said the resumed route was "extremely convenient for us Chinese in the UK to get back home." The first flight was scheduled to take off from Heathrow Airport at 10:00 p.m. local time on Friday, and land in Changsha in about 11 hours. Operated by brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, the service will provide three flights per week: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This is the second direct flight route by Hainan Airlines that links the Chinese mainland and the UK, following the resumption of its direct flight between Beijing and Manchester in August 2022.<br/>