R.E. China Routes...
I have a friend that works at MAN and he has told me that China Cargo Airlines is coming into MAN with a charter flight on the 20th/21st (one of those days) Sep and have put a tender out for POSSIBLE scheduled flights. I know this is freight rather than pax, but who knows...maybe it'll lead to pax flights too.
My friend said that the charter is for pigs of all things...although another friend of mine has sent pigs out on a couple of Great Wall flights...if I remember rightly.
Anyway...China Cargo Airlines is the freight arm of China Eastern I think so maybe that's a where a pax link to China may come from.
HL