China Eastern Airlines (branded as China Eastern) is a major airline in China, headquartered in Changning,

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. It is one of the three major airlines in the country, along with

Air China Air China, officially Air China Limited, ( zh, s=中国国际航空公司, labels=no, ''Zhōngguó guójì hángkōng gōngsī'') is a major Chinese airline and the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China. It is headquartered in Shunyi ...

and

China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines (branded as China Southern) is a major airline in China, headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It is one of the three major airlines in the country, along with Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Established on 1 ...

. China Eastern's main hubs are

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of the two international airports serving Shanghai, China. Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic flights, while the city's other major airport, Shanghai ...

and

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of two international airports serving Shanghai, China. The airport is located near the town of Hongqiao in the outskirts of Changning and Minhang districts, west of downtown, and is closer to ...

both located in

. In terms of passenger traffic, it is the country's second largest airline after

. 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 SkyTeam is one of the world's three major airline alliances. Founded in June 2000, SkyTeam was the last of the three alliances to be formed, after Star Alliance and Oneworld. Its annual passenger count is 624 million customers (2024), the second ...

on June 21, 2011.

History

China Eastern Airlines was established on June 25, 1988, under the

Civil Aviation Administration of China The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the civil aviation authority of the People's Republic of China, under the Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and inv ...

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 China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) was a former shipping corporation from 1961 to 2016, owned by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, State Council of China. The company merged with China Shipping Group, China Shipping Grou ...

. 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. The company slogan is ''World-Class Hospitality with Eastern Charm'' ( zh, labels=no, s=世界品位，东方魅力). The Chinese government has a majority ownership stake in China Eastern Airlines (61.64%), while some shares are publicly held (

H share H shares () refer to the shares of companies incorporated in mainland China that are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Many companies float their shares simultaneously on the Hong Kong market and one of the two mainland Chinese stock excha ...

s, 32.19%); A shares, 6.17%. On April 20, 2006, the media broke the news of a possible sale of up to 20% of its stake to foreign investors, including

Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA or SQ) is the flag carrier of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Changi Airport. Considered to be one of the world's best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as ranked ...

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...

and

Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...

, with Singapore Airlines confirming that negotiations were underway. After receiving approval from the

State Council of China The State Council of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Central People's Government, is the chief administrative authority and national cabinet. It is constitutionally the highest administrative organ of the country and the e ...

, it was announced that on September 2, 2007,

and

Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited ( ) is a Singaporean State ownership, state-owned multinational investment firm. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek has a net portfolio of US$288 billion (S$389 billion) as of 2024. Headquartered at Orchard ...

(holding company which owns 55% of Singapore Airlines) would jointly acquire shares of China Eastern Airlines. On November 9, 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 Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, or simply Cathay Pacific, is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main airline hub, hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and its subsidiaries have schedule ...

to attempt to block the deal by buying a significant stake in China Eastern and voting down the deal together with

(which already held an 11% stake in China Eastern) at the shareholders' meeting in December 2007. However, on September 24, Cathay Pacific announced that it had abandoned these plans.

'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

to buy the 24% stake. On June 11, 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 excess 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 A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more Legal party, parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organizations. The alliance is a cooperation or collaboration which aims for a synergy wh ...

with the Qantas Group to set up Jetstar Hong Kong, a new low cost airline to be based at

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...

, 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 September 9, 2014, China Eastern introduced a new logo and new livery. In 2015, the airline entered a partnership with

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

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 February 26, 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 The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD), once known as the Shanghai Economic Zone, is a megalopolis generally comprising the Wu Chinese, Wu-speaking areas of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, southern Anhui. The area lie ...

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):

Organizational structure

Ownership structure

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 Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

. * China United Airlines - a

low-cost carrier A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called a budget, or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries for cheaper fa ...

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 Joy Air () was a Chinese airline launched jointly by China Eastern Airlines and AVIC I on 29 March 2008 based at Xi'an. The airline started testing service in June 2009, and commenced passenger service at the end of 2009. On December 14, 2020, ...

(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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and St. Petersburg. On 13 November 2024, China Eastern Airlines launched a new service route,

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

in collaboration with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Air Europa Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U., branded as Air Europa, is the third-largest Spain, Spanish airline after Iberia (airline), Iberia and Vueling. The airline is headquartered in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain; it has its main hub at Adolfo Suárez M ...

through a codeshare agreement. The agreement marks the debut of China Eastern Airlines in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Interline agreements

China Eastern Airlines have interline agreements with the following airlines: * Royal Brunei Airlines *

Codeshare agreements

China Eastern Airlines have codeshare agreements with the following airlines: *

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...

* Aerolíneas Argentinas *

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

China Airlines China Airlines (CAL; zh, t=中華航空, poj=Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong, p=Zhōnghuá Hángkōng, first=t, c=, s=) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with E ...

* China United Airlines *

Etihad Airways Etihad Airways is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Emirates). Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and ...

Garuda Indonesia Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia, headquartered at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport near Jakarta. A successor of KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf, it is a member of SkyTeam airline alliance and the second-largest airline of Ind ...

* Hong Kong Airlines *

Juneyao Air Juneyao Air (; formerly known as Juneyao Airlines) is an airline headquartered in Changning, Shanghai, China. The airline operates both domestic and international services from two Shanghai airports ( Hongqiao and Pudong). The company was fou ...

Kenya Airways Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. Its head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its Airline hu ...

* KLM *

Korean Air Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin, Hanjin Group. The present-day Korean Air tra ...

LATAM Chile LATAM Airlines Chile, formerly known as LAN Chile and LAN Airlines, is a Chilean multinational corporation, multinational airline based in Santiago and one of the founding companies of the LATAM Airlines Group, the largest airline holding compa ...

Mandarin Airlines Mandarin Airlines () is a Taiwanese regional airline based in Taipei, Taiwan whose parent company is China Airlines. The airline operates domestic and regional international flights, while its parent company focuses on international operations. ...

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

Saudia Saudia (), formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines (), is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia based in Jeddah. The airline's main hubs are the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the ...

Scandinavian Airlines The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden. Including its subsidiaries SAS Link and ...

* Shanghai Airlines * Sichuan Airlines *

Vietnam Airlines Vietnam Airlines () is the flag carrier of Vietnam. The airline was founded in 1956 and later established as a Government-owned corporation, state-owned enterprise in April 1989. Vietnam Airlines is headquartered in Long Biên district, Hanoi ...

* Virgin Atlantic * WestJet * XiamenAir

Fleet

Current fleet

, China Eastern Airlines operates the following aircraft. The fleet table includes

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

aircraft operated by China Eastern Yunnan Airlines and painted in its parent company's livery with only slight modifications.

Fleet developments

China Eastern Airlines was the first Chinese airline to place an order with

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

. 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 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, wh ...

s. The airline subsequently cancelled its order owing to continuous delays and swapped it for additional

Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...

aircraft. On October 18, 2011, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...

s. China Eastern Airlines ordered 20 Boeing 777-300ERs and received its first 777-300ER aircraft on September 26, 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 The Airbus A350 is a flight length, long-range, wide-body twin-engine airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The initial A350 design proposed in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the Airbu ...

and 15 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with deliveries commencing in 2018. In May 2021, China Eastern Airlines introduced five A320neos and one ARJ21. At the end of the month, the company operated a total of 738 aircraft.

Former fleet

China Eastern Airlines has previously operated the following aircraft:

Special liveries gallery

File:B-6129 - China Eastern Airlines - Airbus A330-343X - 2011 Xian Horticultural Expo Livery - SHA (16183736733).jpg, Airbus A330-343 in 2011

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

International Horticultural Expo Livery File:B-6376 - China Eastern Airlines - Airbus A320-232 - International Horticultural Exposotion 2011 Livery - PEK (16835213507).jpg, Airbus A320-232 in 2011 Xi'an International Horticultural Expo Livery File:B-6100 - China Eastern Airlines - Airbus A330-343X - EXPO 2010 Livery - SHA (16833967331).jpg, Airbus A330-343 in EXPO Shanghai 2010 Livery File:B-5475 - China Eastern Airlines - Boeing 737-89P(WL) - Tujia, Enshi Livery - CAN (13900987766).jpg, Boeing 737-800 in special livery for promotion of tourism in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture File:B-5701 - China Eastern Airlines - Boeing 737-89P(WL) - Purple Peacock Livery - ICN (17124230620).jpg, China Eastern Yunnan Airlines Boeing 737-800 in Purple Peacock Livery File:B-6126 - China Eastern Airlines - Airbus A330-343X - People's Daily Online Livery - SHA (16811533471).jpg, Airbus A330-343 in ''

People's Daily Online People's Daily Online is a state media company controlled by the People's Daily Press, the publisher of the ''People's Daily'', the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Formerly the online version of the ' ...

'' Livery File:B-6125 - China Eastern Airlines - Airbus A330-343 - Xin Hua News Livery - SHA (16203451793).jpg, Airbus A330-343 in ''

Xinhua News Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official State media, state news agency of the China, People's Republic ...

'' Livery File:B-6507@PEK (20200804154245).jpg, Airbus A330-343 in Shanghai Disney Resort Livery File:B-5976@PEK (20190828180209).jpg, Airbus A330-343 in ''

Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the first installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the Firsts in animation, firs ...

'' livery File:B-1838 - China Eastern Airlines - Airbus A321-231(WL) - SkyTeam Livery - ICN (16965367831).jpg, Airbus A321-231 in

livery File:B-1316@SHA (20191114070748).jpg, Boeing 737-800 in Duffy the Disney Bear livery File:B-1317@SHA (20191206064312).jpg, Boeing 737-800 in '' Frozen'' livery File:B-2002@PEK (20201023085721).jpg, Boeing 777-300ER in China International Import Expo livery

Services

Cabins

;First Class China Eastern offers first class on Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s. A first class seat comes with a flat bed seat, direct aisle access and a sliding door. The plane also comes with a bar for passengers to serve themselves snacks and socialize with others. Middle seats on the Boeing 777s can be turned into a double bed. ;Business Plus/Super Premium Suites The business plus product can be found on all Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s. The suites come with bigger space along with larger suite length compared to the business class seats. The business plus suites also feature sliding door and a minibar. The middle seats can be turned into a living room with seating for four. Business Class Business class comes in many different versions. On narrow-body aircraft, business class seats are recliners arranged in an 2-2 configuration. On select Airbus A330s, business class seats are either Zodiac Cirrus or Thompson Vantage XL which is in a 1-2-1 configuration, or angled flat beds or fully flat beds arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. On Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, business class seats are modified Thompson Vantage XL with doors similar to Delta One suites. On Boeing 777s, business class seats are Zodiac Cirrus. ;Premium Economy Class Premium Economy class is found on all Airbus A320neos, A350s, Boeing 737 MAXs and Boeing 787s, and select A330-300s and Boeing 737-800s. ;Economy Class China Eastern offers complimentary meal service and select A330s, all A350s, 777s, and 787s have seatback entertainment.

Eastern Miles

China Eastern Airlines's

frequent-flyer program A frequent-flyer programme (FFP) is a loyalty program offered by an airline. Many airlines have frequent-flyer programmes designed to encourage airline customers enrolled in the programme to accumulate points (also called miles, kilometres, ...

is called ''Eastern Miles'' ( zh, s=东方万里行, t=東方萬里行}). Shanghai Airlines and China United Airlines, China Eastern subsidiaries, are also parts of the program. Eastern Miles members can earn miles on flights as well as through consumption with China Eastern's credit card. Members can be upgraded to Elite membership in three tiers: Platinum, Gold and Silver, when meet minimum spending requirement (essential), enough miles or flying sectors.

Cargo

After the merger with Shanghai Airlines, China Eastern Airlines signaled that it would combine the two carriers' cargo subsidiaries as well. The airline's new subsidiary cargo carrier, consisting of the assets of China Cargo Airlines, Great Wall Airlines and Shanghai Airlines Cargo, commenced operations in 2011 from its base in Shanghai, China's largest air cargo market. China Eastern Airlines signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shanghai Airport Group, which controls both

and

. The airline will allocate more capacity to Pudong Airport to open more international routes and boost flight frequencies on existing international and domestic trunk routes.

Incidents and accidents

* On April 24, 1989, a passenger hijacked a China Eastern Xian Y-7 en route from Ningbo to Xiamen. The hijacker, armed with a dagger and carrying dynamite, stabbed a flight attendant and demanded to be flown to Taiwan. The pilot diverted to Fuzhou instead, when the hijacker realized that he had been tricked, he blew himself up, injuring two people in the process. * On August 15, 1989, Flight 5510 (B-3437) operating a domestic flight from Shanghai to Nanchang, crashed on takeoff following an unexplained failure of the right engine, killing 34 of 40 people on board. * On April 6, 1993, Flight 583, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 flying from Beijing to Los Angeles via Shanghai, had an inadvertent deployment of the leading edge wing slats while cruising. The aircraft progressed through several violent pitch oscillations and lost of altitude. Two passengers were killed, and 149 passengers and seven crew members were injured. The aircraft landed safely in Shemya, Alaska, United States. * On October 26, 1993, Flight 5398 from Shenzhen to Fuzhou, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 overshot the runway and crashed at Fuzhou Yixu Airport after a failed attempt to go around on approach, killing two of 80 on board. * On September 10, 1998, Flight 586, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 flying from

to Beijing Capital International Airport, suffered a nose gear failure after take-off. The aircraft landed back in

with the nose gear up on a foamed runway. There were only nine reported injuries. The incident became the inspiration for the 1999 movie '' Crash Landing'', directed by Zhang Jianya, which premiered on the 50th anniversary of the National Day of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. * On November 21, 2004, Flight 5210, a Bombardier CRJ-200LR, crashed shortly after takeoff from Baotou Airport due to wing icing, killing all 53 on board and two people on the ground. * On June 7, 2013, Flight 2947, an Embraer ERJ-145LI (B-3052), ran off the runway on landing at Hongqiao Airport; all 49 on board survived. Investigation revealed that a servo valve in the nosewheel steering assembly was clogged. * On March 21, 2022, Flight 5735 (operated by China Eastern Yunnan Airlines), a Boeing 737-89P flying from Kunming Changshui International Airport to

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is an international airport serving Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The airport codes were inherited from the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former), former Baiyun Airport, and the IATA code is de ...

, nose dives from 29,100 feet and crashes straight into a mountainous region in Molang Village,

Teng County Teng County or Tengxian (; ) is a county of eastern Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Wuzhou. , it had a population of 1,125,264 residing in an area of . The county is divided into a northern and sout ...

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

, killing all 123 passengers and 9 crew.