China Eastern
China Eastern at a glance
China Eastern is Shanghai made into an airline: one of China's big three state carriers, it dominates the country's commercial capital from twin hubs at Pudong and Hongqiao, moving well over 100 million passengers a year with a group fleet approaching 800 aircraft. Formed in 1988 from the CAAC's Shanghai bureau, it is the SkyTeam anchor in China and the carrier through which much of the world connects into the Yangtze Delta's economy.
Its place in aviation history is already secured: China Eastern was the global launch operator of the COMAC C919, putting China's first homegrown mainline jet into commercial service in May 2023 on the Shanghai-Beijing trunk route, and it continues to take the type in growing numbers, a symbolic and industrial role no other airline shares. The rest of the fleet is a conventional giant: hundreds of A320-family jets, with A350s, 787s and 777s on international routes rebuilt since China's reopening.
Fleet
China Eastern operates at Chinese scale: hundreds of A320-family narrowbodies carry the domestic network, A350-900s, 787-9s and 777-300ERs fly international, and the airline holds a place in history as the launch operator of the COMAC C919, China's first homegrown mainline jet, in service since May 2023 and growing in numbers.
| Aircraft | Role | Fleet Size |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320neo | Domestic backbone (A320 family) | ~350 |
| Airbus A350-900 | Long-haul flagship | ~20 |
| Boeing 787-9 | Long-haul core | ~10 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | High-capacity international | 20 |
Hub & route network
The network runs on Shanghai's twin airports: Pudong for international and long-haul, Hongqiao for the premium domestic trunk routes, with secondary hubs in Kunming and Xi'an. From Shanghai the map reaches across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, rebuilt progressively since China's post-pandemic reopening.Alliance & partnerships
China Eastern joined SkyTeam in 2011 and remains its Chinese anchor, with Delta holding a small equity stake since 2015 and partnerships with Air France-KLM and Qantas linking Shanghai into Europe and Australia.Group structure
China Eastern Airlines Corporation, listed in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York under state-owned China Eastern Air Holding, spans subsidiaries including Shanghai Airlines, budget arm China United Airlines and OTT Airlines for the domestic C919 and ARJ21 fleets.Full specifications
Frequently asked questions
Dominating Shanghai from twin hubs at Pudong and Hongqiao as one of China's big three state carriers, and for being the global launch operator of the COMAC C919 in May 2023.
SkyTeam, which it joined in 2011, partnering with Delta, which holds a small equity stake, and Air France-KLM.
The group fleet approaches 800 aircraft including subsidiaries like Shanghai Airlines, carrying well over 100 million passengers a year across 200+ destinations.