The UK’s third largest airport, Manchester, has celebrated the start of the Year of the Rat, ahead of commencing services to Shanghai in March.
Events at the airport included traditional lion dances and performances by Chinese acrobats and the airport choir. Passengers also had the opportunity to win flights to Shanghai, courtesy of Chinese airline Juneyao Air.
Chinese lanterns welcomed passengers arriving at the airport through its Skylink. The airport also sponsored the annual Chinese New Year celebration in the city’s Chinatown, which was expected to attract upward of 75,000 people.
Manchester is home to the largest Chinese community in Europe and Shanghai is the airport’s third route to China, with the Hong Kong service launched in 2014 and Beijing in 2016.