British Airways plans to double the number of Chinese cabin crew for its flights between China and the UK as it sees strong demand for premium leisure travel, reports Caixin. The UK’s flagship carrier, which currently has 50 China-based cabin crew in its ranks, will add another 50 local-language staff, equally split between its bases in Shanghai and Beijing, Calum Laming, the airline’s chief customer officer said during an interview in the Chinese capital Thursday.
The recruitment drive, which will be finalized before Lunar New Year in mid-February, will make China British Airways’ second-largest international cabin crew base after India, according to Laming.
The airline announced its recruitment plan back in October and has received thousands of applications, Laming said. British Airways resumed flights from London to Shanghai in April and to Beijing in June.