Juneyao Air will begin flights to Manchester on 31 March 2020.

Juneyao Air is commencing fifth freedom flights to Manchester on 31 March 2020.

Manchester Airport says that this will be operated as a Shanghai Pudong-Helsinki-Manchester service on a thrice-weekly basis, using Boeing 787-9s.

It will be an extension of the existing Shanghai-Helsinki route operated by Juneyao, with the same frequency and aircraft type.

“Juneyao Air is delighted to launch its first fifth-freedom route to Manchester, and we look forward to developing Manchester’s traffic growth in the coming years. This route will further promote Greater Manchester’s tourism, as well giving Britain an opportunity to boost its trade and investment links to China,” says the carrier’s chairman Wang Junjin.

Cirium schedules data shows that Juneyao will compete with Finnair on the Helsinki-Manchester leg, and the latter also operates a Shanghai Pudong-Helsinki service.

Other connections between China and Manchester include a twice-weekly Beijing service operated by Hainan Airlines.