A new direct flight route between Scotland and China will “open up a wealth of new business opportunities”, it is claimed.

The introduction of a twice-a-week flight between Edinburgh and Beijing and only Scotland and China air link was revealed by The Herald business team this week.

It will be the first to fly direct from Edinburgh to the Chinese capital. An earlier flight stopping off at Dublin ran between 2018 and 2019. A direct flight between Dublin and Beijing will also be operated.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “This service will be the only one operating between Scotland and China when it is introduced and is a real show of faith in the market by Hainan Airlines.

“This important connectivity will provide a boost to Scotland’s universities and tourism industry, open up a wealth of new business opportunities, and enable better access to other parts of the world.”

Kevin Stewart, Scottish Transport Minister, said: “This direct connectivity is great news for people and businesses in both Scotland and China, building strong links for business and exports, as well as making it easier for visitors and students to come and experience Scotland.”

SPECIAL SERIES

 

The Herald: Are growth towers like this part of the answer for the longer term?Are growth towers like this part of the answer for the longer term? (Image: IGS)

In part one of business correspondent Kristy Dorsey's four-day series from this week, the focus is on the human impact of surging food prices and what can be done about it in the long term

 

Human toll of the soaring cost of food is ‘heart-rending’

“If my son leaves anything on his plate then I will eat that. If not, I just eat toast most days now.”

Like that parent, thousands throughout Scotland are struggling to put meals on the table as the cost of food has soared through a combination of surging energy prices, the war in Ukraine, Brexit, and more recently, the impact of poor weather in North Africa and Southern Europe.

The Herald: Martin Kennedy has identified another issueMartin Kennedy has identified another issue (Image: Paul Watt)

In part two of the series the combination of circumstances contributing to the upward spiral in food prices are under the spotlight

 

​'Terrible' food price increases reveal fundamental flaws

The factors driving the surge in supermarket prices are numerous and interlinked.

They include the Russian war against Ukraine, Brexit, rising labour costs, the strain on supply chains and crop failures in North Africa and Southern Europe.

The Herald: Gordon Allan, who with his brother James runs family-owned Malcolm AllanGordon Allan, who with his brother James runs family-owned Malcolm Allan (Image: Newsquest)

In part three of the series, food processors and restaurant owners explain how they are dealing with soaring food prices

 

Food inflation puts processors and restaurants on 'survival' footing

Caught between surging costs and cash-strapped consumers, Scotland’s food processing and service firms have been cutting back in ways that for many would have been unthinkable before double-digit inflation took hold last year.

The Herald:

“Everybody is in survival mode,” says Gordon Allan, who together with his brother James runs family-owned Malcolm Allan, one of Scotland’s leading food brands which has been making sausages, haggis, steak pies, black pudding, and burgers since 1954.

The Herald: The rage of food that can be grown under these conditions is considerableThe rage of food that can be grown under these conditions is considerable (Image: IGS)

The last of the four-part series examines some of technologies being developed to improve efficiency and bring down food costs

 

'What version of hell do we want?': Seeking solutions to soaring food prices

After energy bills, food is the next biggest concern for most families’ budgets, and the constant increase in supermarket prices since last year has led some to call for government intervention. Laura Rettie, editor of Finance.co.uk, is among those who argue there is something “fundamentally wrong” with the market.

“It’s worrying that food prices in this country aren’t regulated,” she said recently. “We know it’s not the farmers who are hiking food prices ­– so who’s looking at the supermarkets and what they’re choosing to charge?"

Housebuilder submits plans for renowned Glasgow industrial site

A housing developer has submitted a formal planning application to build nearly 300 apartments on the former Weir Pumps engineering site on the south side of Glasgow.

The Herald: It appointed Cala Homes (West) as its preferred residential development partner in October, and the parties have now submitted a detailed planning application to create 277 apartments, as well as landscaping, and associated amenities, on land Celeros deemed surplus to requirements.It appointed Cala Homes (West) as its preferred residential development partner in October, and the parties have now submitted a detailed planning application to create 277 apartments, as well as landscaping, and associated amenities, on land Celeros deemed surplus to requirements. (Image: Cala)

US engineering giant Celeros Flow Technology has hived off part of the land it acquired from SPX FLOW in 2020 for housing development to raise cash to reinvest in the Cathcart site.

Scottish air link last offered a generation ago is restored

Loganair has celebrated the launch of the first flights between London Heathrow and Dundee in 40 years.

The Herald: Loganair said today that Derry flights switched from London Stansted on Saturday May 6, while flights to Dundee left from Heathrow for the first time in 40 years on Tuesday. The flights were previously between Dundee and London City airports.Loganair said today that Derry flights switched from London Stansted on Saturday May 6, while flights to Dundee left from Heathrow for the first time in 40 years on Tuesday. The flights were previously between Dundee and London City airports. (Image: Loganair)

The airline announced in April that it would be offering connections to London Heathrow from Derry, Dundee, Orkney and Shetland, in addition to its existing Isle of Man services.

The flights were previously between Dundee and London City airports.