Non-stop to my hometown

With a British Airways plane sporting a panda-themed paintjob landing at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Sept 23, I was invited to witness the celebration for the first direct flight from London to my hometown.

Following Beijing and Shanghai, Chengdu is now the third city on the Chinese mainland to have a non-stop route to London.

Why does Chengdu appeal to London? Several reasons, I reckon.