London Gatwick, the UK’s second largest airport, has said that it has expanded its long haul network with the addition of a new China Airlines service to Taipei, providing UK businesses with key links to global markets.
The new service to Taipei, Taiwan takes Gatwick’s long haul network to 60 routes – the world’s largest long haul network for a single runway airport. Operating four times a week, the new China Airlines service will start on December 1, along with the other new long haul routes announced from Gatwick this year including Buenos Aires, Singapore, Denver, Seattle, Kigali and Vancouver.
Guy Stephenson, chief commercial officer, Gatwick Airport, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome China Airlines to Gatwick as part of our flourishing long haul network.
‘The airport is increasingly connecting the UK to more and more destinations in all four corners of the globe including in China, the wider Far East, Africa, South America and destinations across the US.
‘Given the current political climate, these global connections will provide UK businesses with vital trading links and will help them get goods to important new markets. We also stand ready to build a new runway to help drive further growth should the Government give us the green light to proceed.’
According to the UK Government, nearly 300 UK companies are currently located in Taiwan in financial and business services, ICT, telecommunications, infrastructure, environmental technology, creative industries and marine industries, with around 180 Taiwanese companies also based in the UK. Nearly 30 percent of all Taiwanese who study overseas do so in the UK, the airport noted.
In addition, Taiwanese tourism to the UK has risen sharply since the lifting of the visa regime for visits of under six months in 2009, the airport added.
