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Find cheap flights to China from £256

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from the United Kingdom to China departing on 7/4. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
0 bags
Thu 18/4
Thu 25/4

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Best China Flight Deals

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Shanghai
Shanghai1 stop£357
Beijing
Beijingdirect£369
Guangzhou
Guangzhou1 stop£372
Chengdu
Chengdu1 stop£391
Fuzhou
Fuzhou2 stops£462
Shenyang
Shenyang1 stop£404
Qingdao
Qingdao2 stops£403
Xi'an
Xi'an1 stop£393
Xiamen
Xiamen1 stop£425
Shenzhen
Shenzhen1 stop£376
Chongqing
Chongqing1 stop£396
Dalian
Dalian2 stops£688
Wuhan
Wuhan1 stop£421
Hangzhou
Hangzhou1 stop£410
Tianjin
Tianjin1 stop£481
Jinhua
Jinhua1 stop£456
Kunming
Kunming1 stop£421
Changsha
Changsha1 stop£404
Harbin
Harbin1 stop£421
Nanjing
Nanjing1 stop£413

Good to know - Cheap tickets to China

Low season

December

High season

July

Cheapest flight

£256
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 15% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (21% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Heathrow Airport to Beijing Daxing Intl

FAQs - booking China flights

  • Are there direct flights to China?

    There are direct flights that you can take from the UK to China. For example, you can catch a flight with Air China from Heathrow Airport and arrive into Shanghai Pu Dong Airport (PVG). Alternatively, if you want to fly from the north of the UK, you could take-off from Manchester Airport (MAN) to fly to Beijing Airport (PEK). This tends to require two transfers along the way, most likely in Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Vienna Airport (VIE).

  • What are popular stopovers on flights from UK to China?

    There are many indirect flights to China. Popular stopovers include Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH) on flights with Etihad from Manchester Airport (MAN) to Shanghai. Alternatively, a flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Beijing Airport (PEK) would require a stop at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) if you were to fly with Air France.

  • Can I reduce my carbon emissions when flying?

    You can lower your carbon emissions by choosing an airline that emits less CO2 during the journey. For example, if you fly with Lufthansa from London City Airport (LCY) to Shanghai Pu Dong Airport you could complete the route emitting about 38% less than the industry standard. Rather than releasing 3217 kg CO2 per passenger, this flight emits about 2000 kg CO2 per person.

  • Is there internet on board flights from UK to China?

    Should you want to stay in touch with loved ones on flights to China, you should fly with an airline that provides internet. For example, if you fly with Air China, you will be able to access free Wi-Fi throughout the journey. Alternatively, flights with Air France or Egypt Air provide internet, but this comes at an additional cost.

  • Which UK airports have a fast-track service?

    You can save time and skip the queues when you depart from UK airports. At London Heathrow Airport you can pay around £12.50 for this service. Whilst at Manchester Airport this costs in the region of £5. It’s worth noting that London City Airport does not offer a fast track service, so you should get to this airport in good time to avoid delays.

  • Which airport in China should I fly to for easy access to see the Terracotta Army?

    If you want to visit one of China’s most popular attraction, the Terracotta Army, you would be best flying to Xi’an Airport (XIY), which is around 50 km (31 miles) away from the site. Alternatively, you can also fly to Yuncheng Airport (YCU), which is approximately 180 km (111 miles) away.

  • Which lounges can I use ahead of my flight to China?

    You can relax at airport lounges ahead of your long flight to China. At Heathrow Airport you could use the Plaza Premium Lounge. You can access the Escape Lounge at Manchester Airport. Whilst there is the Club Aspire Lounge at Gatwick Airport (LGW). London City Airport does not have lounge services for passengers to use.

  • Which airports are hubs for airlines that fly to China?

    If you choose to fly with China Air, you will benefit from the fact its hub airport is Beijing Airport (PEK). As a result, you are likely to benefit from more regular and direct flights to this airport from UK airports, such as Heathrow (LHR). Another advantage is that flights should be cheaper to and from a hub airport.

  • How much luggage can you take on board flights to China?

    Airlines have different baggage policies, so you should always ensure you are well-versed with your baggage allowance before travelling. For instance, flights with Air China from Heathrow to Beijing permit one item of cabin baggage and one item of checked luggage on standard tickets. Air France flights on the same route allow one item of cabin baggage, but you need to pay extra for checked luggage, whereas Egypt Air permit one item of cabin baggage and two checked bags on flights from Heathrow to Beijing.

  • Are flights likely to be more expensive around Chinese National Day?

    In spite of the name, celebrations for Chinese National Day in fact span the course of a week around 1st October. As this is an important holiday in China, it’s likely that flight prices will increase. If you aren’t visiting China for this event, you should travel either side for better priced fares.

  • How long is the flight to China?

    An average direct flight from the United Kingdom to China takes 15h 15m, covering a distance of 5547 miles. The most popular route is London - Shanghai with an average flight time of 11h 20m.

  • What is the cheapest flight to China?

    The cheapest ticket to China from the United Kingdom found in the last 72 hours was £256 one-way, and £368 round-trip. The most popular route is London Heathrow to Shanghai Hongqiao Intl and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was £392.

  • Which airlines fly to China?

    China Southern, Air China & China Eastern fly the most frequently from the United Kingdom to China.

  • What are the most popular destinations in China?

    The next most popular destinations are Beijing (15%) and Guangzhou (7%). Searches for flights to Shenzhen (2%), to Fuzhou (2%) and to Chongqing (2%) are also popular.

  • How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to China

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest China flight deals.
  • If you are a British citizen then you will need to have a visa to enter China. This needs to be obtained in person at a visa application centre. It’s also important that your passport has at least six months left on it from the day you enter the country.
  • As China is a very large country in comparison to most, you might want to fly to a hub airport if you want to travel to various cities. For instance, Beijing Airport (PEK) is a hub for airlines such as Air China, which provides various domestic flight options, such as to Shanghai Airport (SHA).
  • If you’re travelling to China to visit the Snow and Ice Festival, which takes place for a month during the months of January and February, then you should be aware that flights normally cost more during this period. If you don’t plan to visit the country for this reason, then you should look to book alternative dates to save on money.
  • London has many airports, so which one you depart from might depend on where you are travelling from. For example, Stansted Airport (STN) and Luton Airport (LTN) are located to the north of the city, Gatwick Airport (LGW) is located to the south of London, whilst Heathrow Airport (LHR) and London City Airport (LCY) are easy to reach from the city centre.
  • If you are planning on hiring a car when you arrive at a Chinese Airport, then you should be aware of the rules of the road before you depart the airport. For instance, everyone in the car must wear a seat belt. In certain provinces, such as Shanghai, children under four years of age are also required to be in a child seat. However, it is recommended that children should be in a suitable restraint no matter the province that you are driving in.
  • Business Class passengers can make use of the chauffeur services offered by some airlines. For example, if you fly with British Airways, you can use your Business Points to get a chauffeur from your doorstep to the terminal. This service is available for those that live within a 100-mile radius of certain airports, such as Manchester Airport (MAN) or Edinburgh Airport (EDI).
  • For passengers that are flying from London Heathrow Airport (LHR), you can save time travelling through the airport by using the Reserve and Collect service that the airport offers. This means that you can buy your duty free items online before you get to the airport and collect them once you arrive.
  • Flights to China before Chinese New Year are likely to be more expensive than other periods of the year. So, if you don’t need to travel during this time period, you should look to book around these dates.
See more tips

Top 5 airlines flying to China

Need help choosing which airline to fly with from the United Kingdom to China? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to KAYAK reviews.
8.1
Hainan AirlinesOverall score based on 136 reviews
80overall
86crew
81boarding
81entertainment
82comfort
78food
Airline reviews

They asked how much cash i have . I said no cash they said bring cash from atm . Why they even care about my cash.

Read more about Hainan Airlines

They asked how much cash i have . I said no cash they said bring cash from atm . Why they even care about my cash.

Flight was scheduled to depart at 1210 hrs. It was delayed 1 hour 20 minutes (maybe for air traffic control reasons). The seats were worn out and very uncomfortable. Lunch was typical for airline. Flight free were friendly.

Pros: "Na"
Cons: "Over one and an half hours delay - sitting on the airplane"
Pros: "Lots of movie options, the food was good (had multiple food dish options for each meal)"
Pros: "Good and pleasant service, new plane very clean including regular WC cleanups"
Cons: "Boarding could have been done in groups"
Pros: "I would like to never fly through China again"
Cons: "I had a 9 hour layover in Beijing and they still couldn’t get my bag on the plane to Seattle"
Pros: "Everything was great, service on flight was really nice."
Cons: "Transferring suitcases between 3 flights was not great, with security check etc. Would fly with them again. Anytime, no hesitation."
Pros: "I had a very bad experience on checking in. I went to check in at Beijing Capital airport over 1 hour (about at least 65-70 minutes) earlier than the time of taking off on Nov. 2, However, I wasn’t allowed to check in. The staff said I was late and asked me to spend extra $200 to reschedule my flight. Therefore I had to spend $200 on changing my flight to next day on November 3, which was one day late back to Boston than I expected. That’s too bad and incredible!"
Cons: "There are a couple of things need to be improved. First of all, the food were not fresh, especially the salad dish. In mean dish, the beef cooked with too much dark source and tasted salty. Hope you could improve the food quality near future! Secondly, the luggages came out too late. All passengers had waited for their luggages for more than 1hour, which was really too long. Please consider about the concerns! Thanks!"
Pros: "New aircraft used like their 787-800s"
Cons: "Since Hainan is a Chinese airline, a lot Ig Ygritte move and music choices are Chinese, but I wish they had more non-Chinese content and choices"
Pros: "For the price, Hainan is a good value."
Cons: "I find that hainan just isn’t as “polished” as perhaps other air carriers in Asia are such as Cathay, Thai or Singapore"

During flight, some passengers perform stomping leg exercises which disturb the comfort (I.e. sleep) of other passengers.

No good but was short flight. Both of our China Southern flights were on time. No surprises.

The flight was okay it was the kayak customer service that was poor, I have been trying to change my name on my flight ticket 3 days before my flight and nothing got done about it even tho I messaged so many times and phoned, all I got in return was that is was being processed and still to this day nothing has been done about it, I think it’s disgusting and un needed stress to the trip.

The food was perfect. The boarding process is a bit long. Given the late boarding time, I felt very tired by the time I was seated.

Quality flight from start to finish. Customer service is evidently very important to this company. The staff really exceeded expectations.

Traveling with the Chinese airlines , their service superior to the US Airlines , they are much more friendly and the seats are comfortable , In the past I flew with United , now ,United Airline will become history for me .

Pros: "No..no redeeming features.."
Cons: "Coffee was the worst I've ever had. The 2+1 powdered mil and coffee stick. Truly awful. But i suppose there aren't many people on the flight who would order coffee..I would even pay extra for a coffee if they had a quality option. Food is comparable to a school canteen. I would probably pay 20rmb for this in Shanghai. Frozen butter for the half-frozen bread. They really couldn't do worse..."
Cons: "Cancellation of Shenyang-Guangzhou flight on the same day was not notified in advance. I had to postpone the trip. I hope that this situation will be notified by phone next time. No matter what country's phone number is"
Pros: "Seat was great. Bedding good."
Cons: "Meal service was rushed with all courses being delivered literally one after the other."
Pros: "Seat was great."
Cons: "Food courses should be delivered slower. It’s a race to see how fast all the courses can be piled on to you ."

The flight was cancelled without any reason. But the next flight to Shanghai has to be cancelled to pay penalty.

Gatwick London-Shanghai -Bangkok.. Would have liked entertainment screens, but I know these planes are not that new. Cheap flights at the time of booking, Emirates wanted double so you get what you paid for. I would fly again with them, but if Emirates was the same price I would go with them.

We were cutting it close on our connecting flight and notified all staff at departing gate and flight attendants. From the start, we were told to check in with the international transfer desk by everyone, except for one lady who wanted to argue the time difference that was already taken into account. We also asked if we could try to exit the plane first (our family of 4 and 8 others on the same connecting flight). They just told us to check in with international transfers. We landed and had very little time to make our next flight. We were not offered any assistance or communication to the receiving gate. We ran all the way to the international transfers gate only to be turned away. I think we could have made it if we were allowed to exit and a call was made to other check in counter. After that we spent 6 grueling hours with our kids trying to rebook a flight. No food of any type of compensation was offered besides a dirty hotel room. The ladies with China Eastern at the Shanghai International counter were rude an unhelpful. We were directed to 3 different counters and waited before they said they forgot about a hotel. It was a long, miserable day. I believe this could have all been avoided.

The landings were smooth . Being unable to check-in online was terribly stressful and the queue at Haneda exemely long. We paid extra for window seats and did not get them.

Flight was fine, however we were not able to check in online, this adds to travel stress. Luckily check-in at Heathrow was quick, but we did not get the seats we paid extra for. We paid for a window and 2 aisle seats from Shanghai to Tokyo leg, but they changed us to middle seats. Not good :(

You’re in the three parts of my life, the China Eastern air crew remembered and wish me happy birthday. I was given pastries on two different occasions and a complementary drink. The stew is wish me happy birthday and gave me a birthday card. Everything was first class. Thank you.

Again, I was presented with birthday pastries two times as a celebrated my birthday on both legs of my trip. I will keep flying to China using China Eastern airlines. As they made this trip a special one thank you.

Couldn’t fly since they wouldn’t issue a boarding ticket. Something to do with not taking the departing flight since it was cancelled due to weather. No notice or anything about the trip being invalid. The app made it seem like I was all good for it. Never trusting travel agency

Multiple delays, with no explanation. Caused us to almost miss our connector. The airline made no effort when we arrived in Shanghai to help us make it to our next flight with the same airline.

I will never fly through China again. Maybe it was the mandatory retinal scan just to transfer to another flight or the complete set of fingerprints they require. There are many better and inexpensive flights to Asia if you look.

The flight was delayed for almost 5 hours, but I understand that it was not up to the company, however how they could handle the situation better, they never apologized for that delay, moreover despite passengers being there for 7 hours only thing they did was to give a bowl of instant noodles, afterwards on the plane tiny snacks, people were there starting from lunch time and we’ve arrived to destination at almost midnight

Flight was delayed for 2 hours for no reason, then we spent almost an hour after boarding because of the weather conditions. If we left on time we could avoid that 😾

Pros: "Friendly crew and helpful staff"
Cons: "Missed connection from PEK to XIY due to delayed arrival and early departure. From XIY to PEK, booked and confirmed 11 departure, changed to 12:30 without notification or explaination. Rushed connections at PEK, pretty much ran from the minute left plan to another terminal, through custom, through all the health check points, security check. Just keep the fights on time and keep the original schedules, not arbitrarily change them."
Pros: "The crew was accommodating during the flight but spoke very little English and could not help with information on connecting flight."
Cons: "We missed our connecting flight due to a delay and the airline would not let us through because we could have made our second flight...."
Cons: "Connecting though Beijing from Taipei to LAX is not recommended if you can avoid it!"
Cons: "Seats are narrow, leg room poor, and food service is minimal."
Pros: "The seats on business were comfy, the service excellent, the movie selection was fair to poor, the food was also fair to good largely because they served a heavy lunch rather than a light breakfast."
Cons: "The food and movie selection."
Pros: "The crew was okay. The seating was great on all except for one leg."
Cons: "On one leg, it must have been an older plane, because the business class seats barely reclined."
Cons: "More TV show choices and more Hollywood movies although I understand it's a Chinese airline not American."
Pros: "Crew was great and was happy to get gluten free food i could eat"
Cons: "Not lose my bags :("

I sat in the last row of seats. On an 8 hour flight they allowed folks to stand and talk and drink in the back area near the toilets the whole time. They were at times loud and in the way. It was a little annoying. The crew on this trip were pretty mediocre and the plane was littered with trash when we disembarked.

I didn’t get to London or Amsterdam. They lost my connection flight . I was stuck in Madrid and they rerouted my flight to Austria where my son had to come and pick me up. To get to my destination and they lost my luggage and they’ve told me they can not find it very poor service so have no word for what happened

Boarding process needs to be improved. Business class passengers were told to stand in the economy line and vice versa.

Overall good, but the fact that there was no WiFi was a big deal for me. I am not used to having no WiFi during long flights. I always fly Delta-KLM and they never have had an issue with WiFi.

I asked for a wheelchair. I have a back health condition. I had to walk a lot

I travelled on biz class and f there is no water in the toilette to wash my hands I would expect to have this indicated somehow and not just finding out when I'm there expecting to be able to wash my hands and teeth. Also this is in general that it is always so rushy at the end of these kind of long flights. It is like we are sitting there for 9 hours and the last 1.5 hours just feels like I have time for nothing. Because food comes and at the same time we are close to destination everyone tries to pack their stuff and go to toilette and eat and everything :))) not that like I would know a good solution here I just wanted to raise this :)

Boarding = No one respected the boarding groups. The ground crew did nothing to enforce the boarding system. What is the point of being a Gold member when there are no benefits to that? Tired old plane

Almost 3 hour delay. First because the crew was late. Then a technical problem with the airplane.

Emergency row seat less comfortable than promoted. Restricted by emergency life raft storage.

My selected seat ending up being very uncomfortable both major flights. SFO to London and back. Seat arms did not go up so it was not like suggest by BA staff. On return flight my seat had a life raft barrier in front off me and large man beside me.

Book Cheap China Plane Tickets

Cheapest flights to China from the United Kingdom found in 2024

Recent return flight deals

20/4Sat
1 stopChina Southern
16h 40mLGW-PVG
26/4Fri
1 stopChina Southern
30h 35mPVG-LGW
£357
11/6Tue
1 stopChina Southern
30h 05mLGW-PVG
17/6Mon
1 stopChina Southern
27h 25mPVG-LGW
£358
23/5Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 30mLHR-PKX
26/5Sun
directBritish Airways
13h 20mPKX-LHR
£369
16/4Tue
directBritish Airways
11h 30mLHR-PKX
23/4Tue
directBritish Airways
13h 20mPKX-LHR
£386
30/4Tue
1 stopAir China
16h 40mLHR-CAN
8/5Wed
1 stopAir China
17h 55mCAN-LHR
£401
22/4Mon
1 stopAir China
17h 55mLHR-CAN
11/5Sat
1 stopAir China
17h 15mCAN-LHR
£403
18/4Thu
1 stopChina Eastern
15h 50mLHR-PKX
25/5Sat
1 stopChina Eastern
29h 55mPKX-LHR
£430
18/4Thu
1 stopChina Eastern
19h 45mLHR-PKX
25/5Sat
1 stopChina Eastern
29h 55mPKX-LHR
£433
19/4Fri
2 stopsHainan Airlines
29h 20mLHR-CAN
30/4Tue
2 stopsHainan Airlines
30h 10mCAN-LHR
£434
15/4Mon
2 stopsHainan Airlines
35h 10mLHR-PVG
12/5Sun
1 stopHainan Airlines
27h 25mPVG-LHR
£446

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Recent one-way flight deals

7/4Sun
directChina Southern
10h 05mLHR-PKX
£256
25/5Sat
1 stopChina Southern
16h 40mLGW-PVG
£262
17/4Wed
2 stopsHainan Airlines
38h 25mLHR-PVG
£289
9/4Tue
1 stopAir China
14h 55mLHR-CAN
£298
24/4Wed
1 stopAir China
15h 40mLHR-CAN
£299
17/4Wed
2 stopsHainan Airlines
41h 55mLHR-SHA
£300
18/6Tue
directBritish Airways
11h 30mLHR-PKX
£324
20/4Sat
directBritish Airways
12h 45mLHR-PVG
£324
20/4Sat
directChina Eastern
11h 20mLGW-PVG
£326
20/4Sat
directChina Eastern
11h 20mLGW-PVG
£328

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Last minute flights to China

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

20/3Wed
multi-stop
22h 15mLHR-PVG
27/3Wed
multi-stop
28h 20mPVG-LHR
£476
20/3Wed
multi-stopKLM
18h 00mLHR-PVG
27/3Wed
multi-stopKLM
28h 20mPVG-LHR
£545
19/3Tue
directAir China
11h 05mLGW-PVG
31/3Sun
directAir China
12h 30mPVG-LGW
£559
19/3Tue
directAir China
11h 05mLGW-PVG
1/4Mon
directAir China
12h 30mPVG-LGW
£601
19/3Tue
multi-stop
14h 50mLGW-PVG
31/3Sun
direct
12h 30mPVG-LGW
£602
20/3Wed
directChina Eastern
11h 40mLGW-PVG
2/4Tue
directChina Eastern
12h 45mPVG-LGW
£697
20/3Wed
directChina Eastern
11h 40mLGW-PVG
31/3Sun
directChina Eastern
12h 45mPVG-LGW
£761
22/3Fri
multi-stopChina Southern
13h 50mLHR-PKX
7/4Sun
multi-stopChina Southern
15h 25mPKX-LHR
£978
22/3Fri
multi-stopChina Southern
18h 35mLHR-SHA
25/3Mon
multi-stopChina Southern
29h 35mSHA-LHR
£996
22/3Fri
multi-stopHainan Airlines
24h 05mLHR-PVG
7/4Sun
multi-stopHainan Airlines
30h 10mPVG-LHR
£1,129

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Flights to China

Return flight deals:

China - United Kingdom

Cabin classes:

£2,805
£749
£766
£332