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| Founded | 1988 | |||
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| Hubs | ||||
| Focus cities | ||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Eastern Miles | |||
| Alliance | SkyTeam | |||
| Subsidiaries | Shanghai Airlines | |||
| Fleet size | 270 (+182 Orders) | |||
| Destinations | 110 | |||
| Company slogan | Traveling the globe, making dreams come true | |||
| Headquarters | Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai, China |
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| Key people | Liu Shaoyong (Chairman) | |||
| Website | www.flychinaeastern.com | |||
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (simplified Chinese: 中国东方航空股份有限公司; traditional Chinese: 中國東方航空; pinyin: zhōngguó dōngfāng hángkōng gǔfèn yǒuxiàn gōngsī, inside China colloquially known as 东航) (SSE: 600115 SEHK: 0670 NYSE: CEA) is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai, China.[1] It is a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes. Its main hubs are at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.[2] China Eastern also has hubs at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport and Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. China Eastern Airlines is China's second-largest carrier by passenger numbers and the world’s third-biggest carriers by market value. On 16 April 2010, China Eastern Airlines announced an initial agreement to join SkyTeam.[3][4] On 21 June 2011, China Eastern, along with is subsidiary Shanghai Airlines, officially joined the SkyTeam airline alliance, becoming the 14th member and the second Chinese carrier to join (the other being China Southern Airlines).[5]
In 2010, China Eastern Airlines carried 64.93 million domestic and international passengers with an average load factor of 78%. The airline reported a net profit of CNY5.3 billion ($807 million) in 2010. [6][7]
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The airline was established on 25 June 1988, under the CAAC 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. It founded China Cargo Airlines in a joint venture with COSCO in 1998. In March 2001, it completed the takeover of Great Wall Airlines.[2] China Yunnan Airlines and China Northwest Airlines merged into China Eastern Airlines in 2003.
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 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, Emirates Airline and Japan Airlines, with Singapore Airlines confirming that negotiations were underway.[8][9]
After receiving approval from the State Council of China, it was announced that on September 2, 2007, Singapore Airlines and Temasek Holdings (holding company which owns 55% of Singapore Airlines) would jointly acquire shares of China Eastern Airlines.[10][11] On November 9, 2007, investors signed a final agreement to buy a combined 24% stake in China Eastern Airlines: Singapore Airlines will own 15.73% and Temasek Holdings - 8.27% stake in the airline.[12] 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 holds an 11% stake in China Eastern) at the shareholders' meeting in December 2007.[13][14] However on September 24 Cathay Pacific announced that it had abandoned such plans.[15]
Air China's parent company, the China National Aviation Corporation, a state-owned company, 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.[16] However, minority shareholders declined the offer made by Singapore Airlines. It is thought that this is due to the massive effort made by Air China to buy the 24% stake.[17]
On 11 June 2009, it was announced that China Eastern Airlines would merge with Shanghai Airlines.[18] The merger of China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines was expected to reduce excess-competition between the two Shanghai-based carriers and to consolidate 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 will retain its brand and livery. The new combined airline is expected to have over half of the market share in Shanghai, the financial hub of China.
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 from Shanghai, making it the longest non-stop route for the airline. On November 22, China Eastern Airlines started a twice-weekly seasonal flights on the Shanghai–Brisbane route, but these flights didn't continue during 2010/11. Instead, the carrier operated charters to Cairns. In addition, the carrier is planning to launch services to Rome and hopes to open more routes to Europe, US and Australia. The airline is seeking regulatory approval to begin flights to Hawaii.[19]
As of June 2011, China Eastern Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines, beside SkyTeam members:
China Eastern Airlines is an important customer of Airbus. It was the first Chinese carrier to have ordered from the manufacturer. The backbone of the fleet is the A320 series, which are primarily used for domestic flights. In 2005, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. However, the airline have cancelled its order owing to the program's continuous delays and switch to Boeing 737 Next Generation.[20] On 18 October 2011, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15 Airbus A330.[21][22]
China Eastern Airlines's fleet includes the following aircraft (as of August 2011):
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | J | Y | Total | |||
| Airbus A300-600R |
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— | — | 24 | 250 |
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| Airbus A319-100 |
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— | 8 | 114 |
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| Airbus A320-200 |
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— | 8 | 150 |
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| Airbus A321-200 |
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— | 20 | 157 |
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| Airbus A330-200 |
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— | 24 | 240 |
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| Airbus A330-300 |
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— | 38 | 260 |
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| Airbus A340-300 |
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— | 12 | 28 | 247 |
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| Airbus A340-600 |
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— | 8 | 42 | 272 |
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| Boeing 737-300 |
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— | — | 8 | 120 |
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| Boeing 737-700 |
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— | 8 | 126 |
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| Boeing 737-800 |
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— | 8 | 162 |
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| Boeing 737NG | — |
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— | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Bombardier CRJ200 |
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— | — | — | 50 |
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| COMAC C919 | — |
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TBA | |||
| Embraer ERJ 145 |
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— | — | — | 50 |
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| Total | 270 | 227 | ||||
China Eastern Airlines's frequent-flyer program is called Eastern Miles (simplified Chinese: 东方万里行; traditional Chinese: 東方萬里行). Shanghai Airlines, China Eastern's subsidiary, is also part of the program. Enrollment is free of charge. Eastern Miles members can earn miles on flights as well as through consumption with China Eastern's credit card. When enough miles are collected, members can be upgraded to VIP. VIP membership of Eastern Miles can be divided into two tiers: Golden Card membership and Silver Card membership. VIP membership can enjoy extra privileged services.[24]
| Tier Level | Benefits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Gold |
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180000 Elite Points |
| Silver |
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100000 Elite Points |
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, will commence operations in 2011 from its base in Shanghai, China's largest air cargo market.[25] China Eastern Airlines signed a strategic co-operation framework agreement with Shanghai Airport Group, which controls both Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. 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.
China Eastern Airlines's cargo subsidiary, China Cargo Airlines, is China's first all-cargo airline operating dedicated freight services using China Eastern Airlines' route structure. The cargo airline carries the same logo of China Eastern Airlines.
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