Direct air service linking Shanghai and London will soon take off, Andrew Cahn, supervisor of Britain Airways' government relationship and industry affairs department, revealed yesterday.

Quoted by today's Youth Daily, Cahn didn't reveal the concrete date of the new service, only saying his company is still in active negotiations with Chinese government.

Anticipating booming air traffic between China and the Britain, British Airways will add Chinese flights to Beijing and Hong Kong from June, he added.

The flights to Beijing will increase from the current five to six every week while service to Hong Kong will be added from 17 to 21.

Data cited by the Youth Daily report indicate that more than 80,000 passengers on China's mainland take British Airways' service to shuttle Britain officially opened to Chinese tourists last week.

(Shanghai Daily January 28, 2005)