British Airways has signed a joint business agreement with China Southern Airlines, for travel from 2 January 2020. The agreement will allow the airlines to cooperate on scheduling and pricing on a combined route network which will develop over time thanks to both airlines’ move to the new Beijing Daxing International Airport.
The joint business will initially see the two airlines code-sharing on all direct flights operated on mainland routes between London and the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Sanya, Wuhan and Zhengzhou. This will expand to both airlines' extensive domestic networks.
Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “We are delighted to announce this joint business which will bring the UK and China closer together by providing British Airways and China Southern Airlines customers with a wide range of benefits. The agreement reinforces our commitment to boost tourism and business travel between the two countries and we look forward to strengthening the relationship further.”
British Airways and China Southern Airlines first launched a codeshare agreement across ten routes in 2017. In January 2019, the airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the agreement on each other’s networks and implement reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.
In October 2019, British Airways was the first international airline to its all operations to Beijing Daxing International Airport. Under the joint business, customers will initially benefit from 31 direct flights a week between London and the six Chinese locations.