The capital cities of China and Scotland will be linked directly for the first time after Hainan Airlines revealed plans to launch flights between Edinburgh and Beijing.

The flights will be direct twice a week, and via Dublin at other times.The news comes just days after we reported on another route launch between China and the UK with Hainan Airlines.

Starting in just two weeks, the flights between Changsha and London will be operated by modern 787 aircraft, fitted with all the latest amenities and inflight entertainment.

A total of nine new flights between China and Europe are expected to be launched in the first half of 2018.

That’s according to specialist publication Travel Weekly, who report that more routes could follow later in the year, too.

These include flights between Chengdu and London, which are set to resume in May after Air China revealed plans to operate the route.

British Airways had flown between the two cities several times a week, for five years between 2013 and 2017.

British Airways launched the route to much fanfare, including decorating an aircraft in a revised panda livery for the occasion.