China Eastern Airlines (branded as China Eastern) is a major airline in China, headquartered in Minhang, Shanghai. It is one of the three major airlines in the country, along with Air China and China Southern Airlines.
China Eastern's main hubs are Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, both located in Shanghai. In terms of passenger traffic, it is the country's second largest airline after China Southern Airlines. In 2021, its operational revenue was 67,127 million RMB with assets totaling 286,548 million RMB. China Eastern (along with its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines) became the 14th member of SkyTeam on 21 June 2011.
History China Eastern Airlines was established on 25 June 1988, under the Civil Aviation Administration of China Huadong Administration. In 1997, China Eastern took over the unprofitable China General Aviation and also became the country's first airline to offer shares on the international market. In 1998, it founded China Cargo Airlines in a joint venture with COSCO. In March 2001, it completed the takeover of Great Wall Airlines. China Yunnan Airlines and China Northwest Airlines merged into China Eastern Airlines in 2003. Since 2025, the company slogan is Connecting all the wonders of the world ().
The Chinese government has a majority ownership stake in China Eastern Airlines (61.64%), while some shares are publicly held (H shares, 32.19%); A shares, 6.17%. On 20 April 2006, the media broke the news of a possible sale of up to 20% of its stake to foreign investors, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Japan Airlines, with Singapore Airlines confirming that negotiations were underway.Shanghai Daily
After receiving approval from the State Council of China, it was announced that on 2 September 2007, Singapore Airlines and Temasek Holdings (holding company which owns 55% of Singapore Airlines) would jointly acquire shares of China Eastern Airlines.SIA approved to buy into China Eastern Flight Global, August 31, 2007 On 9 November 2007, investors signed a final agreement to buy a combined 24% stake in China Eastern Airlines: Singapore Airlines would own 15.73% and Temasek Holdings an 8.27% stake in the airline. Singapore Airlines' pending entry into the Chinese market prompted the Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific to attempt to block the deal by buying a significant stake in China Eastern and voting down the deal together with Air China (which already held an 11% stake in China Eastern) at the shareholders' meeting in December 2007. However, on 24 September, Cathay Pacific announced that it had abandoned these plans.
Air China's parent company, state-owned China National Aviation Corporation, announced in January 2008 that it would offer 32% more than Singapore Airlines for the 24% stake in China Eastern, potentially complicating the deal that Singapore Airlines and Temasek had proposed by Beckett Saufley. However, minority shareholders declined the offer made by Singapore Airlines. It is thought that this was due to the massive effort made by Air China to buy the 24% stake.
On 11 June 2009, it was announced that China Eastern Airlines would merge with Shanghai Airlines. The merger of China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines was expected to reduce competition between the two Shanghai-based carriers while consolidating Shanghai's status as an international aviation hub. In February 2010, the merger was completed. Shanghai Airlines became a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines. However, Shanghai Airlines retained its brand and livery. The new combined airline was expected to have over half of the market share in Shanghai, the financial hub of China. China Eastern Airlines also acquired China United Airlines in October 2010.
In March 2012, it was announced that China Eastern was forging a strategic alliance with the Qantas Group to set up Jetstar Hong Kong, a new low cost airline to be based at Hong Kong International Airport, which would commence operations in 2013. China Eastern would hold a 50% stake in the new airline, with the Qantas Group holding the other 50%, representing a total investment of US$198 million. However, in June 2015, the Hong Kong Air Transport Licensing Authority refused to issue an operating license to Jetstar Hong Kong. China Eastern and Qantas subsequently announced the end of the investment.
In April 2013, China Eastern received a temporary permit to operate in the Philippines, but the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines required them to obtain a technical permit and an airport slot.
In 2012, China Eastern was awarded the "Golden Ting Award" at the China Capital Market Annual Conference 2012, recognizing it as one of the 50 most valuable Chinese brands by WPP and ranking in the top ten of FORTUNE China's CSR ranking 2013.
On 9 September 2014, China Eastern introduced a new logo and new livery. In 2015, the airline entered a partnership with Delta Air Lines in which Delta will buy a 3.55% share in China Eastern for $450 million.
In 2017, China Eastern Airlines reported a net profit of CNY6.4 billion ($983 million), up 41% over net income of CNY4.5 billion in 2016.
On 26 February 2020, China Eastern Airlines launched OTT Airlines as a subsidiary to operate domestically produced aircraft, such as the Comac C919 and Comac ARJ21, in the Yangtze Delta region in addition to business jet operations.
Corporate affairs
Business trends
The key trends for the China Eastern Airlines Group are (as of the financial year ending 31 December): Net profit(RMB b)Number ofemployeesNumber ofpassengers(m)Passengerload factor(%)Fleet sizeReferences20132.068,87479.079.247820143.569,84983.879.551520155.071,03393.780.555120164.975,33310181.259620176.875,27711081.063720182.677,00512182.269220193.181,13613082.07342020−11.881,15774.670.57342021−12.280,32179.067.77582022−37.380,19342.563.77782023−1.9181,781115.6274.4278220241.6285,168140.5782.82804
Organizational structure
Ownership structure OwnerNumber of shares heldPercentage of shares held1China Eastern Airlines Group Co. LTD756785380240.12HKSCC NOMINEES LIMITED4701157885↓24.913Shanghai Jidao Hang Enterprise Management Co., LTD5890410963.124China Aviation Oil Group Co. LTD5027678952.665Delta Air Lines, Inc.4659100002.476Shanghai Reed Information Technology Consulting Co. LTD4658385092.477China Eastern Financial Holding Co. LTD4573170732.428China Securities Finance Co. LTD4296733822.289Shanghai Juneyao (Group) Co. LTD3118319091.6510China State-owned Enterprise Restructuring Fund Co., LTD2739726021.45
Cooperation with Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines and China Eastern Airlines formed a partnership in 2010 with a codeshare agreement, expanding in 2011 when China Eastern joined SkyTeam Alliances. They connected 42 city pairs between the U.S. and China and fostered a strong friendship. In 2015, they entered into an equity partnership, with Delta investing $450 million for a 3.55% stake in China Eastern. This led to significant achievements, including an expanded network with over 170 city pairs and the launch of Trans-China baggage check-through service. The partnership has brought numerous benefits to both airlines and their customers.
Airline subsidiaries In addition to China Eastern Airline's mainline services, the airline also has multiple airline subsidiaries including:
Current Air France–KLM (4.58%) China Cargo Airlines - cargo subsidiary, China's first all-cargo airline operating dedicated freight services using China Eastern Airlines' route structure. China Eastern Yunnan Airlines - formerly known as China Yunnan Airlines, is China Eastern Airlines' local subsidiary in the province of Yunnan. China United Airlines - a low-cost carrier based in Beijing Daxing International Airport. It became a subsidiary of China Eastern in 2010 as a result of acquisitions. Shanghai Airlines
Former China General Aviation Jetstar Hong Kong (33.33%) Joy Air (40%) OTT Airlines - regional airline that was launched in February 2020 to operate domestically produced aircraft like the Comac C919 and Comac C909 in the Yangtze Delta region.
Destinations
China Eastern Airlines has a strong presence on routes in Asia, North America and Australia. The airline looks to exploit the domestic market potential as it boosts flight frequencies from Shanghai to other Chinese cities. The airline is also accelerating the pace of international expansion by increasing flight frequencies to international destinations. In 2007, it began operations to New York City from Shanghai, making it the longest non-stop route for the airline. In 2016, China Eastern Airlines also launched direct flights from Shanghai to Prague, Amsterdam, Madrid and St. Petersburg.
On 13 November 2024, China Eastern Airlines launched a new service route, Shanghai-Madrid-Lima in collaboration with Spain's Air Europa through a codeshare agreement. The agreement marks the debut of China Eastern Airlines in Peru.
Interline agreements China Eastern Airlines has interline agreements with the following airlines:
Copa Airlines flydubai Jetstar Royal Brunei Airlines Singapore Airlines Swiss International Air Lines Turkish Airlines
Codeshare agreements China Eastern Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Aeroflot Aerolíneas Argentinas Air Europa Air France Chengdu Airlines China Airlines China Railway China Express Airlines China United Airlines Delta Air Lines Etihad Airways Garuda Indonesia Japan Airlines Juneyao Air Kenya Airways KLM Korean Air LATAM Chile Loong Air Mandarin Airlines Qantas Royal Brunei Airlines Saudia Scandinavian Airlines Shanghai Airlines Sichuan Airlines Vietnam Airlines Virgin Atlantic WestJet XiamenAir
Fleet
Current fleet
, China Eastern Airlines operates the following aircraft. The fleet table includes Boeing aircraft operated by China Eastern Yunnan Airlines and painted in its parent company's livery with only slight modifications.
+ China Eastern Airlines fleet Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes F J W Y TotalAirbus A319-100 31——8—114122Airbus A320-200134——8—150158Airbus A320neo12333 —818132158Second largest operator.Airbus A321-20074——20—15517512166178170182Airbus A321neo30122—12—186198Airbus A330-20030——30—202232Largest operator.2042342424026418246Airbus A330-30026——38—2623003232230294Airbus A330-900—25—————Deliveries from 2029 to 2033Airbus A350-90020—43632216288Boeing 737-70036——8—126134—140140Boeing 737-800100——20—13815812150162816217018150176Boeing 737 MAX 8520—818150176Boeing 777-300ER20—652—258316Boeing 787-97—42628227285Deliveries through 2024.Comac C909323———9090Deliveries through 2025.Transferred from OTT Airlines.1788—8—156164Launch customer.Order with 15 options.Deliveries through 2031.Total685291
Fleet development China Eastern Airlines was the first Chinese airline to place an order with Airbus. The backbone of its fleet is the A320 family, which is primarily used for domestic flights.
In 2005, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline subsequently cancelled its order owing to continuous delays and swapped it for additional Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft.
On 18 October 2011, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15 Airbus A330 aircraft.
China Eastern Airlines ordered 20 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and received its first 777-300ER on 26 September 2014.
In 2015, the airline acquired a further batch of 15 Airbus A330 aircraft for delivery in 2017 and 2018.
In April 2016, China Eastern Airlines ordered 20 Airbus A350-900 and 15 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with deliveries commencing in 2018.
In May 2021, China Eastern Airlines introduced five Airbus A320neo and one Comac ARJ21 aircraft. At the end of the month, the company operated a total of 738 aircraft.