(Photo : China Southern Airlines)

China Southern Airlines, Asia's largest airline in fleet size and passengers served, will be flying to London with its new Boeing 787 aircrafts, airline officials said.

Like Us on Facebook

London is the first destination that China Southern Airlines has chosen for its new Boeing 787 planes. Experts said this means the United Kingdom is a very important market for the airline.

The new Boeing 787 planes will fly non-stop between Heathrow Airport in London and Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou. The airline previously used Airbus A330 on this route.

China Southern's Chief Pilot Hu Wei said the airline has chosen to operate the new 787 planes in London because the route is also used by customers travelling to Oceania with connecting flights in Guangzhou.

Comfort and Style

One of the unique features of the new 787s is the shade on windows that can be adjusted by passengers who prefer light, dark, or shaded. The new planes can also adjust moisture level more easily, which means passengers will be traveling with more comfort and style.

The new aircraft is also spacious and can carry more passengers than the A330. The 787 has a passenger capacity of 228 passengers while the A330 can only fit 218 passengers.

China Southern ordered 10 new 787 planes from Boeing as it attempts to make Guangzhou a hub that will serve locations in Asia and Oceania.

The introduction of the new 787 planes was also timely as Guangzhou has been allowed by the central government to implement the 72-hour visa free program, which means tourists can travel to Guangzhou for up to 72 hours.

Five Times A Week

China Southern, which launched its inaugural London-Guangzhou flight in June 2012, flies to London five times a week, operating everyday expect for Mondays and Wednesday.  The 787 flights will take about 12 hours per way or 10 to 20 minutes faster than the A330s.

Aside from London, China Southern, which is one of the China's Big Three Airlines (alongside Air China and China Eastern Airlines), also flies to other European destinations, including Amsterdam and Paris. It also plans to operate a 787 for its Guangzhou-Auckland, New Zealand route.