Manchester airport bosses have flown to China in a bid to secure direct routes to Shanghai and Beijing.

You can argue either way but Manchester or Birmingham is Britain’s second city. Both claim the title. Many experienced travelers when going to Britain prefer to fly in to Manchester as an alternative to the ill-managed hell-hole that is Heathrow at London. Manchester Airport managing director Andrew Cornish met Air China officials to discuss the possible air link this week.

Last September the Civil Aviation Administration of China announced it had ‘approved’ 27 new routes to Europe, one of which was a daily route to Manchester.

CAAC said services would start in 2009 but no dates have yet been set and no further announcements have been made about when the service will start.

Manchester airport would seriously like it to happen because its passenger numbers have stagnated to around 22 million in the last few years.

Manchester Airport Group is also in talks with a number of other Far East carriers and is waiting to discover whether Malaysian low cost carrier Air Asia X will start flights from Kuala Lumpur to Manchester in the last quarter of 2008.

Earlier this year the airline said aircraft shortages might jeopardize these plans.