To welcome the Year of the Dragon, British Airways is introducing special touches on the ground and in the air this festive season.

During the festival, all customers flying between London and Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore can enjoy traditional festive dishes that signify luck and prosperity.

Customers in First can enjoy black pepper spiced fillet of beef with Chinese seven spiced broccolini, while those travelling in Club World (business class) can order spicy Kung Pao prawn, a dish previously served in the Chinese Imperial Palace.

Both First and Club World customers can enjoy a white chocolate tangerine mousse, a fruit that symbolises gold in Chinese culture.

Customers flying in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy) can enjoy the traditional Huaiyang dish, Lion’s Head meatballs, which are made of steamed pork in oyster sauce.

The dish is named for its round-shape resembling the head of a lion and signifies unity amongst the family.

“Many of our customers will be celebrating the Lunar New Year this month and reuniting with family and friends, so we wanted to make their journey extra special this festive season,” said British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, Calum Laming.

“For those celebrating we’d like to wish them a very Happy Year of the Dragon from everyone at British Airways.”

During the week of the festival, customers travelling through London Heathrow Terminal 5 will be gifted red envelopes with chocolate coins, with lion dancers performing on the concourse.

For London-bound travellers, the airlines’ customer service teams will spread holiday cheer by surprising customers with upgrades to Club World (business class) and lounge access to make their journeys extra special. The team will select a handful of customers who were born in the Year of Dragon.