The GS7987 flight departed from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport on April 23, headed for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. This marked the resumption of the international route between Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, and London.
The flight is operated by Tianjin Airlines, which is affiliated to HNA Aviation Group. Three round trips are planned per week, scheduled every Monday, Friday and Sunday.
The outbound flight departs from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport at 3:45 pm, and arrives at London Heathrow Airport at 9 pm. The return flight departs from London at 10 pm and will land in Xi'an at 3:25 pm. All departure and landing times are local time.
The average one-way journey time from Xi'an to London is about 12 hours, which is three to five hours less than when transiting through cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.
Tianjin Airlines' Xi'an-London route started operation in May 2018, and was suspended in early 2020.
Since this route was put into operation, it has become an important air passage between China and the UK. It has carried more than 75,000 passengers. The source of these passengers has spread to more than 10 major cities across China.
The resumption of this route will deepen exchanges between China and the UK. It would also accelerate cooperation in the fields of politics, economy and trade, culture, tourism, and talent, bringing new development opportunities for the two places.
Meanwhile, it will also facilitate the travel of people who go to the UK for business trips, family visits and overseas study.