China Eastern Airlines says it intends to “vigorously” grow its international network, with flights to Africa, Europe and Asia planned.
In an operational update before the May ‘Golden Week’ holidays, the SkyTeam operator says it will launch flights from its Shanghai Pudong hub to Abu Dhabi, as well as increase its frequencies to cities like Amsterdam and Moscow, in the lead-up to the holidays.
The airline adds that “in the future” it is looking to launch flights from Shanghai to cities like Milan, Copenhagen, Almaty and Geneva, as well as from Xian to Istanbul and Tashkent. China Eastern stopped short of providing a timeline for these new routes.
Additionally, the airline will also increase frequencies on key trunk routes within Mainland China, including cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu.
Noticeably absent from its intended network strategy are North American points – particularly to the USA.
Indeed, China Eastern makes no mention of the ongoing trade war between China and the USA and its likely impact on operations. The economic uncertainty – in the wake of the Trump administration’s tariff policies – has led to several US carriers to warn of softening travel demand in the near term.
China Eastern swung to its first post-pandemic operating profit of CNY1.6 billion ($220 million) in 2024 but warned of competitive pressures in its outlook.
