Beijing: British Airways will double the number of Mandarin-speaking cabin crew on its China routes, its chief customer officer said on Thursday, as the airline seeks to expand in the world’s second-largest aviation market.
The IAG-owned carrier expects to have 50 more Mandarin-speaking cabin crew aboard its flights to Beijing and Shanghai by July, Calum Laming told Reuters, which will take the total number to 100 and make China its second-largest overseas crew base after India.
“Coming back to the market is a major priority for the airline. We would not be out here doubling the crew base size otherwise,” Laming said. “Being able to double the number of cabin crew on board has a lot of benefits in terms of language, in terms of cultural awareness.”
