London Gatwick Airport has gained a vital route to China, with the first China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai taking off today (Friday 7 December).

The Airbus A330-200 flight departed Gatwick at midday, and will provide over 3,700 tonnes of cargo capacity per year to the area responsible for a third of China’s imports and exports.

The flights leave Gatwick on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays bound for Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.

Shanghai is China’s largest city and one of the world’s fastest developing metropolises, dominating the Yangtze River Economic Zone.

Gatwick Airport chief commercial officer, Guy Stephenson says: “The addition of one of the world’s biggest financial centres to Gatwick’s route network is very good news for the UK, particularly as connections to China and other non-European countries are set to take on extra significance in the New Year and beyond.”