On Sunday, British Airways (BA) announced in Beijing that it plans to boost its share of China's market this year.

It will increase its Beijing-London service from five to six flights a week and its Hong Kong-London weekly service from 17 to 21 from June.

It has also approached the government for approval to launch flights from London Heathrow to Shanghai this year, said Andrew Cahn, BA's director of Government and Industry Affairs.

The tourism agreement signed last Friday allowing tourist groups to visit the UK is expected to help initiate a wave of interest in it as a tourist destination.

Tim Ramage, General Manager of British Airways China, said that currently there are more than 80,000 passengers flying between China's mainland and the UK every year.

The company expects an annual increase of 15 to 20 percent of travelers in the coming years.

(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2005)