A new report issued by Frontier Economics suggests that direct flights from Heathrow to China will provide £510m a year in GDP to the UK economy.

The report further highlights that the frequent, direct connections between the UK’s Heathrow Airport and China will also create more than 14,550 jobs.

Just one extra weekly flight on each of the five routes will deliver an additional £16m to UK’s GDP with increased business travel, enhancing trade and investment between China and the UK.

This increase in capacity is expected to support an additional 530 jobs per annum, according to the study.

“As the country prepares to leave the EU and China’s economy continues to grow exponentially, this is an opportunity the UK cannot afford to miss.”

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “Heathrow is proud of its role as a gateway to these vital Chinese markets, enabling global trade as the UK’s largest port by value, acting as a catalyst for thousands of jobs for the local community and contributing billions to the UK economy.

“Expansion of Heathrow is a chance to deepen relations between China and the UK. As the report highlights, just one extra route could contribute hundreds of jobs and millions to the UK’s GDP.

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“As the country prepares to leave the EU and China’s economy continues to grow exponentially, this is an opportunity the UK cannot afford to miss.”

Out of 100 non-stop weekly flights between the UK and China, 55 go to Hong Kong, 22 to Shanghai, 20 to Beijing, ten to Guangzhou and two to Qingdao.

The biggest economic contribution comes from Hong Kong at £315m, followed by Beijing and Shanghai.