China and Britain have agreed to resume direct passenger flights between the two countries, the British embassy in China said on Wednesday.

Direct flights would initially be provided by Chinese airlines, and the resumption of flights by British Airways is still under progress, the embassy said in a statement on its Twitter account.

“The UK Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China have formally agreed to the resumption of two-way direct passenger scheduled services between the UK and China,” the statement said.

“This will end the ban on direct passenger services imposed by the Chinese authorities during the Covid-19 pandemic,” it added.

China suspended flights to and from Britain indefinitely in late 2020 over fears of a new strain of the coronavirus. (Additional reporting by Reuters)